


La Boule

by boba_tea1



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Lotto (EXO Music Video), Angst and Fluff and Smut, Comedy, Daddy Kink, Drama, I Blame Tumblr, I Tried, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Kinks, Mommy Kink, Oh My God, Suspense, Why Did I Write This?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2018-01-24
Packaged: 2018-12-30 22:54:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 48,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12119001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boba_tea1/pseuds/boba_tea1
Summary: “Where are we going?” asked Minseok.“You wanted to have fun,” I mused. “So let’s have a little fun.”





	1. Rats

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever fanfiction so please support it. Feel free to comment whatever but don't hurt my soft heart. This was mostly inspired by EXO's Lotto MV.

 

I walked into the dim lit building. Cheering exploded once I entered. I acknowledged a few familiar faces. The club was designed and built by me. Only the top idols and celebrities were permitted here. Think of it as a place where people of fame can find a bit of privacy without the paparazzi constantly on their heels. Privacy was a luxury to those who pursuit the spotlight. I would know of course, being Kim Ni -Ah. World famous rapper.

I never thought I’d make it this far. Being of a mixed race. Half Hispanic, half Korean. Entertainment companies weren’t too fond of  ‘mutts’ as they called us. But eventually I managed a spot with a decent company and Boom. With long years of hard work and training, I made my debut and skyrocketed to the top. Of course I had a rough start. A lot of people didn’t think a mutt could ever achieve much when there were plenty of “true Koreans” in the industry. But my style and voice were loved by thousands, and soon I was as famous and wellknown as Kwon Jiyong himself.

I was outstanding in variety shows as well, taking every opportunity to give the fans what they wanted. I actually enjoyed it. My humour came naturally so nothing was forced. I lived a perfect life with many friends. They trusted me wholeheartedly even though I couldn’t give them the same.

I had secrets you see. Secrets that nobody should ever find out. For the sake of my career… and my life.

I walked to the back of the club, past the VIP rooms into a secluded area and to a door that read “Staff Only”, in bold red letters. The guard standing there gave me a short look before immediately opening the door just enough for me to slip through.

As soon as I enter I come across a large burgundy curtain that stretches along the length of the room. I push past the curtain and am greeted with an amber light, the sound of slot machines, and the sight of numerous people gambling. The Big Royal Flush was Seoul’s largest illegal casino. Given the fact that even legal gambling was prohibited in Korea, the idea of having an illegal casino in the back of your club was absolutely insane. But so far, there haven’t been any rats. After I ‘took care’ of the first one. Go SeJoon had been a decent man. Around his mid thirties, he’d stop by every Thursday for a quick round of Blackjack. He was a decent player, good at bluffing too. Once, while playing poker, he bet $30,000 making the pot a total of $200,000. Granted, I always knew he was confident, but this was to a whole new extent. I knew for a fact that he had absolutely no chance of winning unless he had a king of diamonds and a jack of diamonds, therefore having the best hand of all; a Royal Flush. His opponent had had three aces at the time, which was a pretty good starting hand. When the fourth card was dealt, it was revealed to be an ace of diamonds. Therefore his opponent had a four-of-a-kind. The third best hand in poker. His opponent had smiled, and went all-in. So he did as well. When they revealed their hands, everyone was awestruck. Go had a Royal Flush. These things didn’t happen often. They were a rare occurance so naturally, he was accused of cheating. Normally there is never any trouble in my casino, but things sometimes do get… tense. So when Go was held at gunpoint and was forced to give up the money, you would understand that that didn’t sit well in his mind. He claimed that he would rat us all out and bring us to justice. As you know, I couldn’t have that. So he was eliminated that same night by a few of my guards. We can’t let ourselves be discovered you see. I don’t want my image ruined.

I walk around the casino, making sure incidents like those don’t repeat themselves. I get a few cheers, a few catcalls here and there but I could really care less. When you live a life like mine, you can’t afford to get caught up with a relationship. Get attached. It’s not good for a business.

I’m surveying the slot machines when one of my guards gets my attention, saying that there’s a heated argument by the poker tables. I head over there to see two men, around their twenties, arguing over how they should be able to play as well. I scan them, and don’t recall ever seeing them enter in the first place. As soon as I walk over, they fall silent.

“What seems to be the problem, gentlemen?” I ask

They remain silent, bowing their heads.

The guard pushes them to the floor and yanks their heads to look at me. Completely unnecessary in my opinion. “Miss Kim asked you a direct question. Answer it.”

One of them has jet black hair, parted down the middle , and round glasses, while the other had vibrant red hair and was significantly taller than the first. Neither of them speak, just stare with anxt filled eyes.

“Let me see your ID’s please.” I say, holding my hand out.

They hesitate, before reaching into their suit to pull out their ID cards.

“Kim Minseok and Park Chanyeol” I read aloud. “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you in my club. Or my casino before. Are you new members?” I ask, completely aware that they weren’t.

“W-we didn’t know that we had to become members before coming in here.” said Chanyeol. “We saw others coming in s-so we assumed we could too.”

“You assumed?” I asked. He nodded rapidly. “Which one of you is the eldest?” They looked at each other for a brief second before the shorter one mumbled, “Me.”

“Minseok is it?” He nodded. “So you enter my club, without registration, which I am surprised you got past my guards, you follow my men through a door that specifically reads Staff Only and try to gamble illegally and put you and your dongsaeng in danger and expect not to get caught? I’m sorry Mr. Kim but you had to expect that this would not have the ending you desired don’t you think?”

Their eyes widened, unsure of what to say, or if they should even say anything. I knew they came here fully aware of the consequences, but why? Were they spies? They looked vaguely familiar but I couldn’t be sure. It was up to me to find out.

“Who exactly are you? And no lies. I’ll find out for sure eventually so it’ll do you more harm than good to lie.”

“We’re from EXO. You might have heard of us. Please miss, we just wanted to have a bit of fun without the media catching us that’s all. We won’t come back if you don’t want us to, we promise.” said Chanyeol.

He looked sincere enough. But how did he know about the casino? I understand trying to get into the club, but nobody knows about the casino unless I tell them and/or authorize others to tell somebody else. In that case, someone I know must’ve told them.

“Who told you about my casino?” I ask calmly.

“N-nobody… we just knew. I swe-”

I signal to my guard and he clicks a handgun to the youngest’s head. Immediately he tenses up, tears threatening to spill over.

“I said no lies. If you value your life, you’ll tell me the truth.”

I could see they were hesitant to answer, even if they were being held at gunpoint. Whoever told them about the casino surely didn’t want to be ratted out. Well, his luck just ran out.

“I don’t have all da-”

“It was Jiyong-hyung.” breathed out Minseok. “He told us that you had a really nice club that didn’t allow anyone but idols in and that you had a casino that nobody else should know about.”

“He also said we didn’t hear that from him.” added Chanyeol.

“Jiyong oppa? As in Kwon Jiyong? He told you about it? Why?”

“We found him backstage after one of his performances. Said he was heading to his favorite hangout. We asked and he told us everything. He said you’d be very welcoming… “ Chanyeol’s voice faded as he spoke those last words, looking down at the floor.

I scoffed. Of course. Why did it sound just like something Jiyong would say? Welcoming. Of course I could be welcoming. If they were official members and not causing any trouble. Well if it was Jiyong that got them in, then it’d be Jiyong who’d get them out.

“Let them up.” the guard immediately helped them up, but remained cautious. “Follow me.” I said as I led them to the other side of the casino. “Where are we going?” asked Minseok.

“You wanted to have fun,” I mused. “So let’s have a little fun.”


	2. Deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went ahead and uploaded chapter 2. I have a lot of the chapters already finished since I started it out in Google docs so I'll be updating a few at a time before I begin typing them on here. Hope you enjoy!!

I led them to the other side of the casino, towards the pool tables. Something more tame while I sort this out. “Wait here,” I tell them. “I need to make a little phone call with your  _ hyung _ .” I could see them tense up, obviously scared of what Jiyong might do to them for ratting him out like this.

I walk over to the side bar and dial his number. It rings a few times before he finally picks up.

“Ni-Ah! How is my little sister doing today?”

“Cut the crap, Jiyong. I have something important to discuss with you.”

“What is it? Did something happen?” he sounded genuinely concerned.

“The hell it did. Get your ass over here now.” I said tensely.

“You dropped the honorifics-”

I hung up before he could finish his sentence. I walked back over to the pool tables and informed both of them that Jiyong would be arriving soon. I sat down at one of the nearby tables and motioned for the two of them to take a seat with me. “It seems that we got off on the wrong foot. I can be very fun to hang around, I assure you. So let’s start over shall we? I’m Kim Ni-Ah as you already know. And you,” I pointed to the red head. “Are Chanyeol and that is Minseok, am I right?” They both nodded quickly. “Okay then! I’m sure Jiyong will be absolutely  _ thrilled  _ to see you when he gets here huh?”

Chanyeol looked like he might vomit any second now. Minseok kept twiddling his fingers, occasionally biting his fingernails. About fifteen minutes passed before Jiyong finally entered through the back door. He walked up, gave me a hug and asked how I’ve been. The moment his eyes landed on Chanyeol and Minseok, his smile vanished.

“Ni-Ah… What’s going on here?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at the two younger men.

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot! Jiyong, I’d like you to meet Park Chanyeol and Kim Minseok! I hear that you have a little explaining to do?”

“Yah! What did I tell you? I said you didn’t hear it from me!” he exclaimed, clearly agitated.

Chanyeol immediately started apologizing. “We’re so sorry hyung. You said that we could come in and that she would welcome us nicely! We took your word for it and went inside!” he ranted.

“Oh so it’s my fault now?” he asked. “Don’t blame me! I’m not the one getting you in trouble now am I?”

I glare at him. “So you’re saying it’s my fault now?”

“No, of course not! I’m just simply sta-”

“If you had not told them about it in the first place then we wouldn’t be in this damn situation!”

He visibly flinched. Normally, I’m not so harsh towards Jiyong, I always use honorifics and treat him with great respect. After all, he’s like an older brother to me. Having had raised me at a young age, and helped with my debut as well.

I took a deep breath to try and ease my temper. “Jiyong, you very well know that they cannot come into my casino. The club, I’ll pass once they become members, but they’re part of an idol group for God’s sake! Do you know what could happen to them and me if they get caught? They’re still young, and most definitely unexperienced in things like these. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to get involved with any of this.”

Jiyong took a deep breath. “Minseok is only one year younger you know. And Chanyeol can learn from him.” I scoffed. “That sure did help them.” He sighed. “Very well. What do you want to do about it? Are you going to make them members?”

“Not necessarily. I’m going to make them a deal.”

I turn to the both of them. “I’ll make this simple. We’ll play a quick round of poker. If you win, you can become members and I’ll let you in here whenever you want. Hell, I’ll even throw in free drinks if that makes you happy.”

“And if you win?” asked Minseok.

I smiled. “If I win, you’ll have to work for me. Permanently.”

Chanyeol didn’t look too bothered. “That’s it?” he asked.

“Mhm. Nothing to it am I right?”

They both agreed, heading over to the poker tables. Jiyong pulled me to the side. “Are you insane? How is that fair?”

“I never said anything about being fair. All I said was whoever wins gets what they bargained for. Simple don’t you think?”

“Ni-Ah, you can’t let them work for you. They won’t last. They’re not made for this type of business. Let them go. I’ll pay for their entrances. They’re part of an idol group! What if they get caught? What would the members think? What if you get caught?”

“Everything will be fine. Besides, how do you know they won’t win?” I smiled before walking over to the poker tables.

I sat down opposite Minseok. They had decided that he had more experience in these types of games so he had a better chance of winning. Complete bullshit if you ask me. This is a game of luck. Not experience.

Our cards are dealt, and the game begins. I raise the bet to $50,000. Minseok hesitates. They don’t have much money, but that doesn’t matter right now. I could care less about the money. It all adds up to who wins. He bets $6,000 which is around the highest he can go. By scanning his facial features, I can read that he isn’t too happy with his hand. There was only one card yet to be revealed on the table and as of now I had two pairs: a pair of fives as my starting hand and a pair of sevens  on the table. It’s risky because he could have another seven, making it a three-of-a-kind, and he would beat me. But I took my chances. “Call.” I said. Our cards were revealed and it turned out he only had the pair of sevens. The last card was revealed. A seven. Meaning I had a full house. The fourth best hand. I had won.

Chanyeol’s face read disappointment. But Minseok’s was unreadable. Jiyong only shook his head, and headed towards the exit. I collected my money and stood up. “Pack your bags boys, because you’re moving in.”


	3. Roomies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've noticed that the chapters are a bit short on here. I'll try to make them longer!

After I had won, I gave them their money back. I knew this was going to be tough on them so at least try to lift their spirits before Hell began. I led them out to my car, a matte black Koenigsegg Agera. It had been a gift from Jiyong for my 28th birthday and it was my most prized possession. Minseok stopped, mouth agape, as if he’d never seen anything like it up close. Well, he probably hadn’t. “We’re getting in that?” he asked, in awe.

 

“Yes. Or is it not up to your standards Mr. Kim?” I questioned playfully. “No! No, I mean it’s- it’s wow. It’s a really nice car.” he stammered, face turning a light shade of pink. “Well come on then. We have to get you guys settled in.” Chanyeol walks up, a lot more confident than before. “What’s the matter hyung? You seem flustered.” Minseok glares at him. “Yah I’m fine! Just… come on.” he mumbles before getting in the backseat.

 

Chanyeol strides over and asks, “Can I ride shotgun, Noona?”

“Noona? Where did this confidence come from? I’m still calling you Mr. Park.”

“Well, you can call me Chanyeol now.” he smiled. “So can I please?”

“Aish get in already.” I roll my eyes. This kid goes from almost vomiting to a happy virus spreading everywhere. Can’t say that I hate it though. It’s kind of cute to say the least.

 

It hasn’t even been five minutes and Chanyeol is bombarding me with questions.

“Are we staying at your house?”

“Is it big like a mansion?”

“Are me and Xiumin hyung sharing a room?”

“Yeah, Xiumin is his stage name. I don’t know where it came from either but it gets the girls” (“Chanyeol, I’m going to give you one more chance to shut the fuck up”)

“Minseok hyung is always grumpy. You can help with that right?”

“Do you have parties or-”

 

“Aaaaaaaand we’re here!” I say, cutting the engine.

 

“But Noona, this is a coffee shop.” says Chanyeol.

 

“Exactly. I’d like a double espresso and bring me a glazed donut if they still have any, get yourself what you want, and Mr. Kim would you like anything?”

 

“Ah, I’ll have a double espresso too please.” he says, looking down at his hands.

 

“Okay, I’ll be back in a few. Don’t go anywhere!”

“Where the hell would we go?” I ask. Aish this kid. I’m left with Minseok in the car. An awkward silence falling over us. Every few seconds, I can see out of the corner of my eyes, that he glances up in my direction. “Is there something wrong with my hair or why are you staring?”

His eyes widen, and his face flushes, turning to look down at his hands. Silence falls again. Twenty thuds of my heartbeat pass before he speaks. “You don’t have to call me Mr. Kim.” I turn around. “Would you like me to call you Xiumin instead?” He shakes his head. “I’d prefer Minseok, if that’s okay with you.” He looks up at me, and I could swear the temperature rose at least another ten degrees. I cleared my throat. “Okay then, you can call me noona as well if you like. Chanyeol didn’t need to be told twice. Or once for that matter.”

 

“Can you give me a hand here?” Chanyeol speaks, startling me. “Oh, yeah, hand me those.” I take my espresso and set it in the cup holder along with my donut. I give Minseok his drink as Chanyeol gets back in the car. “We can stay here until we’re done. I don’t fancy driving while having hot drinks in the car.”

Chanyeol had bought me a glazed donut, and since I told him to get what he wanted, he bought himself a large blueberry muffin. Minseok hadn’t asked for anything, but for some odd reason I felt bad. “Minseok-ah, do you want some of my donut?”

He took a sip of his drink before replying. “No, it’s okay. I should’ve asked before he went in.” I turned around in my seat. “Don’t act like you don’t want a bite. Go ahead. I’m not sick or anything I promise.” He leaned in and took a small bite. He had gotten glaze all over his lips so he licked it off. It shouldn’t have caught my attention, but it did. For a little too long. I caught myself staring, so I immediately turned back around and sipped my espresso. My face was completely flushed and it felt like I was burning up. “Are you all done?” I asked.

~

We arrived at my home in fifteen minutes. It’s pretty basic for someone like me, but it’s really comfortable. It has a modern look to it and I couldn’t ask for anything better. (I designed it so it was bound to be great.) The moment I pulled into the driveway, one of the maids came to open the door for me and the others. I don’t have any men working at my home except for two guards; they never go further than the entrance. Both Chanyeol and Minseok are admiring the mansion. Having spent all my life here, I’m used to it by now. But I suppose it’s not something they see every day. “There’s more inside you know.” I tease. They snap their attention back to me as I lead them through the front door. Once you enter, you’re greeted with a small sitting area that then connects to the living room. In the living room there are two large white sofas and a flatscreen TV. The TV isn’t by any means big. Just because I have money, doesn’t mean I go spending it on the latest trends. Unless it’s clothes of course. The other thing on the first floor besides the living room and sitting area, is a bathroom and a small computer room that nobody really uses. On the second floor, there are four master bedrooms each with it’s own bathroom, and the kitchen. On the third floor are two smaller bedrooms and a bathroom. From the second and third floor, you can step out into the balcony and get a nice view of the pool outside.

“Okay, let me show you to your bedrooms. They’re all on the second floor. First is Chanyeol’s on the right, Minseok’s across from his and next to mine on the left.” We climb up the stairs to the second floor. “Do you need help with anything?” “No, noona. I’m fine thank you.” “Very well, make sure you clean up and meet me for dinner at nine okay?” “Yes, noona. I’ll be quick.” he said, before entering his room, and shutting the door. I walked Minseok to his bedroom and asked him the same. Surprisingly, he asked me to help him unpack his things. We walked into his room, and set his bags on the bed. Apparently, Jiyong had informed Suho about this new arrangement and had managed to fit most of his clothes into two bags.

 

We made small talk about how their comeback had turned out better than expected and if I planned on writing any songs soon. I was about to answer, when the contents of a particular bag got my attention. It was a smaller, black silk bag that was under some of his socks and boxer shorts. Curious, I pulled the bag out, and opened the draw strings. I looked inside, and the blood rushed to my face almost instantly. Inside were Minseok’s ‘bedroom items’. Ranging from tamer things like lube and and blindfolds to the more adventurous stuff like cock rings and handcuffs.

 

He must’ve noticed my stunned silence because he looked up from his unpacking to see a very red, very flustered Ni-Ah. He strode over as fast as he could and yanked the bag out of my hands. He was a dark crimson shade as he pulled the drawstrings closed and disposed of the bag under the bed. He spoke but refused to look up at me. “I’m so sorry noona. I didn’t know that was in there. I don’t even know why Suho thought it was a good idea for me to bring it along.” his voice wavered. Did it really embarrass him that much?

 

“Hey, look. It’s okay. That’s nothing to be ashamed about. We all do it. It’s a pretty natural thing. Sure, people have different interests but that shouldn’t matter. Only what makes you feel comfortable. You don’t have to be embarrassed about that stuff around me okay? I’m here to talk if you ever need anything alright? We’re roomies now after all. We’re gonna have some great times together. I guarantee it.”

  
He offered a small smile before he got back to unpacking. I headed over to my room to take a quick shower and got ready for dinner. The boys were finally starting to loosen up. It’ll serve them good for their training tomorrow. Besides, we’re roomies now. What could go wrong?


	4. Training

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you guys liking it so far? Remember feedback is always welcome! Minseok's sleepy look was inspired by the show It's Dangerous Outside The Blankets.

I woke up this morning later than usual. I look over to the clock and it read 10:25am. I stretched out, got out of bed and put on my black robe before exiting my bedroom. I could smell breakfast already, so I assumed my chef had let us sleep in a bit more to prepare our meal. I walk down the hallway and into the kitchen to see Chanyeol at the stove.

“What are you doing?” I ask

He jumps, and almost knocks down the pot on the stove. 

“You almost gave me a heartattack! Can’t you say something?”

“I did say something.”

“Aish. I’m making breakfast for us. Where’s Minseok-hyung?”

“I think he’s still sleeping. Why are you making breakfast. Where did Jisoo go? She was the one who’s supposed to be cooking.”

 

“I told her I could handle it. I’m not the best, but I can cook the basics to survive.” He grinned. “Can you go wake up Minseok-hyung? I don’t want the food to get cold.” He turned off the stove. “The rice is done, and the fried eggs are too. Tell him to hurry or he’ll be eating them cold.”

 

I walked back down the hallway and stopped outside Minseok’s door. “Minseok-ah, Chanyeol made us breakfast. Get up or it’s gonna get cold.” I knocked twice. No answer. Was he really sleeping this much? “Minseok, I’m coming in okay?” I opened the door and tiptoed inside. The curtains were drawn so the room was dark but I could still make out everything in it. I scanned the room before noticing that Minseok  was still completely out on the bed. He looked different than before. He was wearing eyeliner the day I met him and his face had looked unblemished. Now, his hair was wavy and a bit ruffled, his skin and eyes were bare, faint acne scars were visible, and he was wearing casual clothes. For a moment, I didn’t want to wake him. He looked relaxed and untroubled. Something that I haven’t been in a very long time. I don’t know how long I stood there, deciding whether or not I should disturb him, but eventually I walked towards the window and drew open the curtains. Minseok stirred in his sleep, groaned, and squeezed his eyes shut. “Breakfast is ready. You should come down.” “Noonaaa, I’m too tired. Can’t I just stay in bed?” he mumbled, voice husky with sleep. I sat down at the edge of the bed, and pulled back the covers. “I’m tired too, so that’s not an excuse not to go down there so get up.” He groans, then sits  up slowly, his eyes are hooded, and he let’s out a long yawn. “I’ll be across the hall. Hurry up. We have a long day ahead of us.” I got up and headed towards the doorway. “Noona,” he said. “I think you should pull your shirt up. I don’t want Chanyeol laying his eyes where he shouldn’t.”

 

I faltered. How do you respond to something like that? I slowly pulled my shirt a bit higher over my bra and looked back at Minseok. He looked completely unfazed by what just happened, and pulled himself out of bed. “Are we eating or not?” he smiled, and made his way to the kitchen.  I followed him awkwardly, his words playing with my mind.  We entered the kitchen where Chanyeol was serving our food. “Finally! I’ve had to reheat this like three times!”

 

“Sorry, Yeol. Noona here had a hard time getting me up.” he said, taking a bite of his egg. I choked on my coffee. Innuendo or not, it still took me by surprise. Chanyeol looked completely unaware. “Well you always were a heavy sleeper hyung. I doubt even Chen could wake you up with his constant complaining.” “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” he replied nonchalantly. They continued having a casual conversation while I think about what the hell Minseok’s deal is. Once everyone finished, Minseok volunteered to wash the dishes while Chanyeol and I got dressed for today’s events. I told them to wear something casual. Wearing something nice wouldn’t be advisable for today’s activities.

 

When everyone was dressed, we headed outside and got into the car. Minseok let himself into the seat beside me while Chanyeol rode in the back. I didn’t think much of it so I started the engine. “So where exactly are we going?” asked Minseok. “We’re going to take you to your training location. This is the first step to your necessary training. This job requires a lot from you. Both mentally and physically. There are two physical steps and one mental step. You’ll start with step one once we arrive.” Chanyeol looks a bit nervous. “What exactly is our job?” he asked. “You’ll find out soon enough.” We drove for about twenty minutes before Minseok broke the silence. “Noona,” he said. “Hmm?” “You told us to dress casually, but you chose that outfit . Why?” I looked at him, confused. “What do you mean? This is casual clothing.” “Well, then I guess you make everything look extravagant.” he grinned. I shouldn’t have, but I was blushing like mad. What was the problem? I always get numerous compliments from guys every day. Why was his any different?

 

“Compliments won’t get you anywhere when you begin your training. I don’t bias anyone who thinks a few sweet words will change their chances.” His smile disappears. “Noona, I wasn’t trying to-” “We’re here.” I stop the car and cut the engine. I get out and start walking to this large industrial building. It looks like it’s been abandoned for decades. We walk inside, and if it looked abandoned from the outside, it looked haunted on the inside. We walked through a long hallway to a wall. I pulled out my phone and dialed a number. A machine operator picked up and asked, “Identification?” “Kim Ni-Ah.”  The wall gave way to reveal a high tech atmosphere. In one corner there were people in suits having meetings, and in the other, people typing furiously on computers. “Where are we?” asked Chanyeol. “This is where my financial and business workers stay. They make sure that everything in the casino remains perfect. They are in charge of collecting the money, and solving any other type of financial issues. That’s all I know. I’m not good at these things. What do you think they’re for. They do all that for me.”

 

“So what does that have to do with us?” asked Minseok. “Nothing.  Your training takes place in the Amsal Department.”  They both stop in their tracks. “The Amsal department? You’re training us to be-” “I’m training you to be hitmen. You will begin your first step with self-defense. You must learn to fight when close combat is necessary. Step two will teach you how to fire various types of guns. Step three will test you mentally and emotionally. It will teach you about trust and that you must learn to make sacrifices. You will learn to kill without batting an eye, without feeling any emotion.”

 

“We didn’t sign up for this-” began Chanyeol

“Technically you did. In fact, you were pretty thrilled about the idea if I recall correctly.”

“We didn’t know we’d have to kill people!” he protested.

  
“What did you think you were going to do? Accompany me everywhere like some sort of accessory? You think you’d be able to have a drink every now and then and hang out with friends? Well tough luck boys, you work for me now and you will start your training today even if you like it or not.” They both frowned, clearly upset. Static sounded around the room as the secretary announced, “Park Chanyeol and Kim Minseok, please enter the Amsal Department.” The doors opened and they caught a glimpse of what awaited them. I pushed them through the doors and they shut behind me. “Alright then,” I clapped my hands together. “Let’s begin.”


	5. Issues

I instruct Chanyeol and Minseok to head over to the punching bags. I’ll let them start off with something easy to get their muscles working. “You guys should probably change into something more flexible.” I walk over to one of the tables in the far corner and pick up two duffel bags. “Here. There’s bathrooms on the left. Hurry up. The more you get done today, the faster we can move on.” I throw them the bags and nod them in the right direction. They pick up their things, and head over to the stalls.

(3rd Person POV)

Chanyeol was the first to speak when they entered the bathroom. “What did we get ourselves into?” he asked. Minseok only shrugged, letting out a heavy sigh. “When she told us we’d be working for her, I thought she meant helping her with her music career. Not this.”

“How are we supposed to explain this to the others? They’ll be wondering why we’re gone.”

“We can’t tell them anything. They can’t find out. We can’t risk something happening to them. We got ourselves into this mess, so it’s better that we just keep it a secret for now.”

“But hyung, she told us we have to work for her permanently.”

His eyes shot up to look at his dongsaeng. He completely forgot that this was a permanent arrangement. They were completely screwed. “We’re fucked aren’t we hyung.” “Yes, yes we are.”

(Ni-Ah’s POV)

They took about twenty minutes in the bathroom before they finally walked out. “What the hell took you so long? We’re twenty minutes behind now! We won’t finish until nine and you’re wasting time! Get your asses over here and start punching the damn bags!” They set their belongings down and headed over to the bags. “Is there something specific you want us to do?” asks Minseok. “No, just hit it. I want to see how strong you are. Strength is important as well as agility. You must be able to dodge a punch just as well as you can give one.” Minseok goes first. He stands there for a few seconds before drawing his fist back, and punching the bag with as much force as he can. He may be small, but his strength makes up for it at an amazing extent. An advantage to his stature is that he can dodge the bag's retaliation with ease. He gives a few powerful kicks as well for good measure. When he’s finished, his forehead is glistening with sweat, and his muscle top is sticking to his chest.

“How-how was that?” he asked, in between breaths. “That was amazing! You can put that strength to good use, and you were swift enough to dodge. With a little more training, you’ll be perfect in close combat in no time.” He offered a weak smile and I handed him some water. “Okay Chanyeol, show me what you got.” Chanyeol was very tall. He had a nice build so I assumed he would have results similar to Minseok’s. He pulled back his fist, and rammed it into the punching bag. The impact wasn’t even strong enough for him to try to dodge the retaliation. He tried again, clearly embarrassed, but got the same result. I was surprised really. I expected more from him. He kept hitting the bag, desperate to make it move even a smidgen more.

He was getting nowhere but I had an idea. A good one, not necessarily, but it might get the job done. “Is that it?” I scoffed. “That’s absolutely pathetic. Do you really think that’d be of any use when you’re fighting someone? You can’t even get the bag to move.” He turned around, annoyed. “I’m trying my best you know. I ca-” “Well that’s not enough! Your best clearly is getting you nowhere. You’re gonna have to do more if you expect to survive.” I could see his temper rising, but he was controlling it. “I never said I wanted to do this. You-” “I don’t give a damn! You got yourself into this situation. Doesn’t it bother you that Minseok is doing a better job than you? Hm, probably not. You’ve probably gotten used to being a failure all the time, correct?” I could see his face flush, his eyes turned cold and his whole body was tense with him trying to control his anger. Let it all out Yeolie. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.” his voice had dropped to barely above a whisper. “You have no right to-” “I have every right to do whatever the hell I want. You follow me. You follow Minseok. You follow everyone because that’s all you’ve ever done, and that’s all you’ll ever do. And for what if you can’t even do that right!”

“SHUT UP!” he yelled, slamming his fist into the punching bag. The bag swung further than Minseok’s had and the chain had gotten stuck, preventing it from coming back. Chanyeol was breathing heavily, sweat dripping from the strands of hair stuck to his forehead. He looked down at the floor, while rubbing his knuckles which had begun to bleed. Minseok was at a loss for words. He didn’t know if he should talk to him, or give him time to cool down. I slowly headed in his direction. I placed my hand on his shoulder and he flinched away. “You know I didn’t mean any of that right?” I said quietly. He looked at me. “You didn’t?” “Of course not. You are an amazing person Chanyeol. Even if you hadn’t done what you just did, that doesn’t change who you are. I was just pushing you to see if it had any impact on you. And it clearly did,” I smiled. “I won’t do it again okay? Next time, try to use the same amount of force. You did well, I’m proud.” He gave me a grin, all traces of anger completely gone. He pulled me into a hug. “Thanks noona.” he mumbled into my shoulder. “Yah! Get off of me! You’re covered in sweat!” I exclaim, as I push him off and throw him his towel. “Go take a shower and meet me outside in fifteen minutes!” He picked up his stuff and gave me one last smile before heading to the bathrooms. Minseok walks over and gives me a curious look. “How did you know Chanyeol had anger issues?” I shrug. “I didn’t. It was just a hunch. It seems that the happiest people always have something hidden underneath.” He thinks about it. “Do you have something hidden noona?” I look at him and contemplate before answering. “I’m not a happy person Minseok, so no.” I say, before grabbing my things and heading towards the exit.

~

We drove in silence back home. It wasn’t an awkward silence, but a comfortable one. We were supposed to leave at nine but I figured they’d done well enough for today. Besides, too much of something is never good. So we ended up leaving at four, having only spent an hour and a half there. I park my car once we arrive and head to unlock the door. Once inside, I collapse on the living room sofa and switch on the television. I had left the door open for the boys, but they hadn’t come in yet. I looked behind me and still no sign of them. “Boys?” I call out. No answer. Immediately, I get up and walk outside. The little brats probably made a run for it didn’t they. And to think I finally began to grow attached to them. Those little-. “Noona! Come on, get in with us! The water’s great!” I spin around to find Chanyeol and Minseok in my pool, clothes discarded at the edge. They were splashing around like toddlers and making the water overflow onto the concrete. “What on earth are you doing? You could’ve at least put on a proper swimsuit!” I nagged. “We do have a proper swimsuit noona, besides it’s just us.” Chanyeol stands up to show me his ‘swim suit’. He’s just wearing boxer shorts. That’s it. I didn’t mean to look. It was involuntary. I will take that reasoning to my grave. But I couldn’t help but glance down. The fabric was sticking to his thighs and you could too well see the outline of his member. I snapped my attention back to his face and politely declined his offer. “I think I’ll stay inside. Besides, you boys look like you're having plenty of fun without me interrupting.” “Aww noonaaaa.” Chanyeol pouted. I turned around to head back inside, when I felt myself being dragged backwards. Next thing I know, my clothes are completely soaked and my makeup has run down my face. I gasp for air as I wipe the water from my eyes. “AWAE. Why did you do that?!” I yell, hitting Minseok on the shoulder. “You were walking away! What was I supposed to do?”

“You didn’t have to drag me into the pool, that’s for sure!” I said, splashing water onto his face. Eventually, we were all splashing water and chasing one another for approximately two hours. “My fingers are all pruned up. We should probably get out now.” I announced, heading towards the edge of the pool. Chanyeol placed his hands on my waist and pulled me against him. “Just five more minutes. We were having so much fun noona. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you laugh before.” “W-what about all the variety shows I’m in. You see me laugh there all the time.” I stutter, feeling his fingers rise up to my midriff. “Yeah, but it seems more natural on you when you actually mean it. Especially your smile. You should smile more noona. It looks good on you.” I look up at him and make eye contact for a brief second, before I tear my sight away to look anywhere else. “We should get out now. I’m hungry. Are you hungry? I’m going to make us dinner.” I rapidly hop onto the edge of the pool and head back inside, butterflies fluttering furiously in my stomach. First Minseok, and now Chanyeol. They’re the first to make me feel like a complete mess. Nobody has ever affected me this much and now these two are making me dizzy with confusion. What is going on?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe it's just me, but I thought Chanyeol having anger issues is kinda hot. This chapter is a lot shorter so I apologize. Since they looked longer in Google Docs I didn't fix it, but I'll start typing longer ones soon, I promise! Don't forget to leave your thoughts and comments!


	6. Distraction

Something stirs me in my sleep. I’ve always been a light sleeper so it was nothing new, but a girl still needed her beauty rest. I squint and look at the clock. 2:30am. Ugh, what could’ve possible bothered me at this time? I turn on my side and try to get comfortable once again when I hear a noise. It was faint, barely audible, but nevertheless heard. I raise my head, trying to listen to what it was. A few seconds pass until I hear it again. My entire body freezes as I realize what the sound is. A moan. Light and breathy, coming from Minseok’s room. I never thought the walls were so thin, having lived here by myself for so long. Now I knew. Why is he doing this so late at night? Why oh why couldn’t I have just stayed asleep.

It’s a few minutes before the next moan is heard, a bit louder than the last, but enough to make my face flush and heat to gather in my lower abdomen. Get a grip Ni-Ah. You’re not prepubescent. You can’t let a few lewd noises affect you so much. But the next one, wasn’t necessarily a moan, but more of a long, desperate mewl and it almost drove me insane. I was uncomfortably hot now and I kicked my pyjama shorts off and slept in my underwear. I was tempted to relieve myself, but that would just be humiliating. How could I think of doing such a thing while thinking about a man I had only known for two days? Granted, we had become close, but not in that way by any means. I rolled back into the covers and tried to get some rest, knowing that I’d wake up in a foul mood in the morning.

~

Jisoo is out sick, so it’s up to me to make breakfast. I haven’t had to cook for a while but I can make a few basic dishes. I remember my mother would always prepare Jeonbokjuk for me almost every morning. So that’s what I decided to make. I was serving the porridge into the bowls when Chanyeol walked into the kitchen. “Morning.” he smiled, groggily. “Good morning Chanyeol. Is Minseok sleeping in today?” “It looks like it. He did tell me last night that he was pretty tired and he went to bed early. I guess all that swimming tired him out.” “Ha, yeah I guess. I should probably go get him though. I don’t wanna have to reheat anything.”

(Minseok’s POV)

They were waiting for me. That much I knew. I couldn’t bare to face Ni-Ah after last night. _She had heard me._ As much as I told myself that I was probably being paranoid, I knew that wasn’t the case. I had been too loud and I had heard the faint “Aish” she had let out through the wall. I had completely stopped my movements and  blushed furiously with arousal and embarrassment and I didn’t dare finish. Now, I was incredibly hard to the point where it was getting painful. I needed relief desperately, but I didn’t want to risk getting caught. I listened closely and could make out Chanyeol making conversation with her. Just ten minutes. I’ll finish in ten minutes, give or take a few. It’ll be fine, I thought as my hand inched closer to my groin.

I kept turning to look at the door for any signals of it opening. I palmed myself through my boxer briefs and used my other hand to massage circles into my nipples. I let out a quiet sigh as I applied more pressure to my member. I lifted my hips to pull down my boxers to my knees and let out a sharp breath as the cool air made contact with my skin. I wraps my hand around the base of my shaft and start pumping slowly, letting out a small moan at the much needed gesture. I slowly drag my foreskin back, letting the cold air hit the fully exposed head and I pulls in a sharp breath through my teeth at the rush of need that flits through me. I swipes my thumb across the head, making my hips stutter. I tighten my grip and pump faster, eager to reach my climax. My back arches and I let out a groan as I come to my high, my release spurting into my hand and abdomen. I'm panting heavily as I tries to regulate my breathing. I sit up slowly, careful not to add any more friction to my sensitive member, and clean myself up.

(Ni-Ah’s POV)

I walk down the hallway and get to Minseok’s room quicker than I would’ve wanted. I didn’t know how to act casual after overhearing his little performance last night. I go to knock on the door but before I can, it swings open, making me run into a very startled Minseok. “Noona! I-I was just getting ready to join you guys. Umm, did you make breakfast? We should go join Chanyeol now. He’s probably wondering what’s taking us so long.” he stammered. “Ugh, yeah sure let’s go then.” I say, a bit confused. Oh god, does he know that I heard him? Is that why he’s acting so weird? No, he can’t know. I didn’t do anything. I’m just being ridiculous. I shook my head and walked back to the kitchen.

“Ah, noona. This porridge is absolutely delicious!” praised Chanyeol, shoving another spoonful into his mouth. “Don’t exaggerate. It’s alright. I’m sure once Jisoo comes back you’ll be eating better food.” I said, starting on my bowl as well. “Nuh-uh. You can tell Jisoo to go work somewhere else. You should cook for us from now on.” I look up at him. “Yah! Do I look like a maid to you? Be grateful I even made you breakfast you punk!” I said, throwing my napkin at him. “I meant it as a good thing! Besides, I made us breakfast yesterday! Right hyung? Back me up here.” Minseok didn’t even look up. He had already finished his bowl and was sitting there staring at the table. “Hyung!” He snapped his head up. “What?.... Oh yeah mhm totally.” he looked like he had no idea what was happening, but Chanyeol didn’t care. “Boom. Two to one. We’ll help you if you want. Oh my god! We should make bulgogi for lunch! We eatin good tonight huh hyung?” Minseok looked at him, then at me, then back at his hands. “You okay hyung? You’re acting really weird today.” “I’m fine. Just tired is all.”

“Okaaay then. So what are we doing today? Are we training today because in all honesty, I really don’t want to.” “No, today’s Saturday. You’re free to go. Do whatever I guess. I have business to attend to.” I sip my coffee. “Free to go? Where?” asks Minseok, finally speaking. “You can leave. For today. Every Saturday, you’re permitted to go out and do whatever you want for the day. Just be home before eleven alright? And no getting drunk unless it’s here. I don’t want to go out looking for you.” They look at each other for a brief second. “Can we go to our dorm then? And see the other members?” asked Chanyeol. “Yes. But whatever happens between us stays between us understood? No telling anyone about your training, the casino, or the industrial building okay?” “For sure.” says Chanyeol. “I mean it. You can’t tell your members, your friends, not even your family. Understood?” “Yes noona. I promise.” “Well then, you’re free to go.” I pick up everyone’s dishes and put them in the dishwasher. “If you need anything, call me okay? Jisoo put my number in your phones when you arrived. And for the last time, don’t tell anyone _anything_.”

~

(Chanyeol’s POV)

One of Ni-Ah’s guards drove us where we needed to go. I asked her before we left if I could invite a few of the members to the club and she agreed after me asking her twenty times. So currently, I was sandwiched in between Chen, Kai, Sehun, Minseok, and Baekhyun. Ni-Ah had called me several times telling me what I could do and could not do. I was fine with it really. Besides the drink monitoring. We could only have two drinks each. But it’ll have to do. We’ll have fun either way. The guard let’s us in and we go over to the VIP room that Ni-Ah had reserved for us. She’s too kind I swear. She can be a bit intimidating, but I like that. We get our drinks delivered to us and it turns out she had ordered us wine. I was expecting some cheap beer, but wow. There were two small bottles, so they would fill our glasses twice. “So, where have you two been? It was kind of sudden for you two move out don’t you think?” asked Kai. “We’ve been at Ni-Ah noona’s house. We volunteered to help her produce some of her songs, and she said she’d help us promote our new album.” I rehearsed what to say several times before leaving the house. I couldn’t mess up or they’d get suspicious. “Kim Ni-ah?” asked Chen. “Yeah, we’ve been helping her around the house a lot. She’s been working on a few songs and she asked if we could help her with lyrics to others.” said Minseok.

“Yah! If you work with her, you should’ve introduced me to her! You know I’m a huge fan. Where did you meet her by the way?” asked Sehun. Minseok answered again. “Here actually. Jiyong-hyung recommended this place to us, and when we arrived, she was sitting at the bar. She said she recognized us and we started talking after that.” “You guys get all the luck. So Yeolie, what’s she like. Is she as stunning in person as she is in those photoshoots?” asked Baekhyun. “She’s a lot prettier in person. And her smile is too. When she laughs, she gets this really cute eye smile and you can’t help but to smile with her.” I said. “Aweee is Chanyeol in love with his noona?” teases Kai. “Guuuys, I-” “No, he’s not.” Minseok interrupts me. “She’s just our noona. Nothing else. We just work with her. She’s just a friend.” Everyone goes quiet for a bit. “Okaaaay then, anyyways…” Sehun’s words drown out as I catch someone opening the “Staff Only” door. I look closely and two hooded figures walk out along with someone else. They turn around and I get a glimpse of one of their faces. Ni-Ah? What’s she doing here? She said she wouldn’t be here today… “What are you looking at?” asks Baekhyun, startling me. “Nothing!” I say, a little too loudly. Minseok and I haven’t touched our drinks, so the other members drank them for us. “Who were those people? Sure didn’t look like staff to me. What if it’s like one of those movies where they have a hidden location? Maybe it’s where they keep marijuana. Or maybe it’s a casino! Like in Vegas-” “Don’t be ridiculous! This is noona’s club. Why would she have those things?” I ask, sweat gathering in my hands. “I’m just saying. It’d be kinda cool no? Let’s go check it out. Besides everyone else is on the verge of passing out. Bunch of lightweights. We can bring Xiumin hyung along.” I make eye contact with Minseok from across the room. He slightly shakes his head, indicating that under no circumstances, should Baekhyun go over there. “We can’t. We’ll get in trouble.” I try to persuade him out of it. “It’ll be fine come on.” He gets up and walks towards the door. “Baekhyun!” I yell after him, getting up to try and stop him. “Baekhyun no!” He grabs the door handle and opens it before I can stop him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah this is my first time writing anything "steamy" I'm sorry if it wasn't as good as other's but then again I am an unexperienced goob. I'll be posting two more chapters that are already ready so make sure you check!


	7. Consequences

(Chanyeol’s POV)

He only manages to open the door a sliver before I pull him backwards and he rams into my chest. “Bro what the fuck? Why’d you do that?” he asks, agitated. “Baek, I told you, you can’t go back there.” I hiss. He’s making me extremely anxious. The guard that escorted us is looking in our direction now, and it’s getting hard for me to breathe normally. “Why not? What’s the problem?” He looks at me intently for a few seconds. “You know something don’t you? You know what’s behind that door. Tell me.” “I can’t.” “Oh so you do know?” Fuck. He always knew how to drive things out of me. “I can keep a secret. Come on Yeol, I’m your best friend.” I took a deep breath. It felt like I was suffocating.

“Baekhyun, for the last time. I can’t tell you. I made a promise to noona.” He looks at me with confusion. “Noona? What does she have to do with this?” I mentally slap myself. Why is it that every time Baekhyun wants to know something, I end up telling him no matter how hard I try not to? “If I tell you, you have to swear you won’t tell anyone. I mean it, Baekhyun. This is dangerous. I’m only going to tell you a few things and only once so listen closely.” I tell him everything. From Jiyong telling us about the club, and casino, to how we were training to be hitmen. “Chanyeol what the fuck did you get yourself into? And I would’ve never imagined that Kim Ni-Ah was doing some illegal shiz like this. That is both badass and hot as hell-” “What are you doing?” Minseok asked and we both turned around. “Hyung you have a lot of explaining to do. I can see why Chanyeol here got involved, but you too?” Minseok looks at me with a glare. “You told him?! Chanyeol, that is the exact opposite of what noona wanted you to do! Do you have any idea what she’ll do to us if we get caug-”

“What is he doing back here?” the guard who had brought us here was now standing behind us. I had no idea how much he had overheard. “Does he know?” he asked. “Well, not exactly-” “Does he know?” he repeats. “Yes,” Minseok answers. “Yes he does.”

~

The guard, whose name I found out was Park SeoJoon, had called Ni-Ah and informed her of the current situation. The call had not been on speaker, but she was yelling so loud that it sure did seem like it. He had called Suho to come pick up the other members and take them home, while he drove me, Minseok, and Baekhyun to the mansion. We stayed silent. I don’t think anyone even wanted to speak at this point. I could feel Minseok’s eyes burning holes into the side of my head. Why couldn’t I have just kept my mouth shut? As soon as we arrived, we were told to wait in the living room until Ni-Ah arrived. I asked where she was, but the guard only said that she was at an important meeting before we fucked everything up.

I’d say around thirty minutes of deafening silence passed, before the door swung open and in came a very rushed and especially furious looking Ni-Ah. I turned to look at Baekhyun and his mouth was slightly open. I tapped him under the chin and he closed his mouth, eyes not leaving Ni-Ah once. “One job,” she spoke, voice barely above a whisper. I would’ve been less frightened if she was full out screaming. “You had one job. Don’t tell anyone. Pretty simple don’t you think?” she laughed, but nobody in the room looked amused. “So, which one of you was it? Minseok?” He looked up, but said nothing. Well, it was about time I screwed up somehow. “I told him.” I finally admitted. She looked at me, her face showed no emotion, but the look in her eyes was deadly.

“And can you tell me exactly why you did that?” I thought about what to say before answering. Why did I do that? “Because he was going to open the door. He would’ve gotten into more trouble if he went in so I told him to prevent any further problems.” She said nothing. The silence was tense. Again, it felt like there was a lack of oxygen in the room. “How much did you tell him?” “Everything.” She looked at Baekhyun. She seemed to be analyzing him. “I’ll find a place for you soon enough. Let him go.” she said to SeoJoon. He walked up to her and said something I didn’t catch. “You think he’ll be good enough for him?” she asked. He nodded. “Very well then. Take him home for now.” She whispered something into his ear. I managed to hear a few things. “Make sure he doesn’t speak to anyone about this… … Yes, I’ll call him right now. I guess he could use some extra help… … Are you sure this is a good idea? If he so much as messes up, he’s dead.” The guard only nodded before motioning for Baekhyun to get inside the car. Ni-Ah looked at him before he left. “You’ll be picked up in three days at exactly 9pm. If I were you, I’d make sure to strive for perfection if you want to save your neck.” She pushed him outside and shut the door. She gave us a short look before reaching into her purse for her phone. She dialed the number and the person on the other line answered immediately. “Yes, it’s Ni-Ah. Listen, I might have found you someone, but it was accidental. Yeah. I’d say around his early twenties. No. He’s part of that EXO group. Baekhyun I think it was. Yeah he’ll stop by on Tuesday at nine. Okay. Annyeong.”

She hangs up and sits down across from us. “What’s going to happen to him?” I ask. “That is no longer your business.” “Of course it is! He’s my friend-” “Then you should’ve thought of that before telling him what you weren’t supposed to. You too Minseok, it’s as much your fault as it is his. You could’ve prevented it you know. Your friend is no longer mine or your responsibility. His fate rests in someone else’s hands.” She looks worried. Something tells me she regrets doing whatever she did to Baekhyun. The thought of his life being on the line makes me want to vomit. “Now, this obviously can’t go unpunished. So due to your irresponsible actions, you will no longer have the privilege to go out on Saturdays.” 

Both me and Minseok groan. “You will have the opportunity to gain back your freedom by training. Every fight you win will earn you an hour to go out on Saturday. For every fight you lose, you will get it taken away, so I expect you to train harder from now on. I will not be taking it easy on you anymore. This is serious business and I expect you to treat it that way.” She got up and took a deep breath. “I won’t be making dinner for you today, so feel free to raid the fridge.” she walked up the stairs and I heard the door to her room close. “Nice going, Chanyeol.” said Minseok, getting up and heading upstairs. “I’m not hungry. I’m going to bed. See you in the morning.” I get off the sofa as well and join him upstairs. Neither of us talk as we enter our rooms. I take a quick shower and head straight to bed. I lay there for a while, thinking about everything that happened today. Maybe Ni-Ah was right after all, even though she said she didn’t mean it. I’m just used to being a failure at everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAH IT"S SO SHORT. I should probably just warn you that most of these are just going to be short. Guess I'll just have to upload more content!


	8. Business

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay last chapter for today! I'll upload at least three more tomorrow and keep going until all the finished chapters are on here. Enjoy!

(Ni-Ah’s POV)

It’s been 5 weeks since I first met Chanyeol and Minseok. Their training and skills improve every day and so far, they haven’t lost a single fight. I think they’re ready for their final test. “Are you guys warmed up enough?” I ask, walking towards the matts. Chanyeol and Minseok both stop their assaults on the punching bags. After their daily workout routines which included 200 pushups, 200 sit ups and 20 laps around the large gym they had developed a good amount of muscle. Chanyeol’s biceps were more defined and so were Minseok’s calves. “Yes noona. Are we fighting SeoJoon again? I’ve beat him like ten times already.” said Chanyeol. “Hey, that’s because he let’s you. He may not take it easy on you, but he sure as hell wouldn’t lose to you in a real fight.” “If you say so.” adds Minseok. “Actually, you’ll be going against me.” I say, removing my jacket and jeans to reveal a sports bra, and gym shorts. “Wait what? We can’t go against you noona! You’re a girl.” says Chanyeol. “So? Why should that mean that I won’t kick your ass? I want you to fight me with the same determination that you fought SeoJoon with. Forget that I’m a girl. If you hit me then don’t stop. Well, if you manage to hit me.” I say, smirking.

They look at each other, uncertain. “Oh come on. I’ve been working in this business for eight years. I had to learn the same things you did on my own. I’ll be fine. I can take a punch. So who’s going first?” Minseok steps onto the matt. “Remember what I said, Minseok. Fight me as if I were SeoJoon.” He nods as he prepares himself. I can see that he’s hesitating, so I make the first move. I throw a punch straight at his ribcage and he winces. “WOO go noona!” cheers Chanyeol. “I suggest you watch carefully because you’re next.” I advise. Minseok finally gets in the game and aims a left hook. I dodge it easily. “Make sure you don’t make it obvious, you’re stepping before you punch. Don’t do that.” He looks at me, annoyed. “I’m like five inches shorter than you, I don’t have a choice but to step forward.” “Well then swing faster.”

It goes on like this for a while. He managed to get in a few kicks, which were what he was best at. “Minseok, we’ve been at this for fifteen minutes. Hit. Me” He actually manages to clip the bottom of my jaw. “Finally!” I say, rubbing my chin. “Oh god are you okay?” “I’m fine you pussy. Get off the matt. Chanyeol get up here.” He jogs up to the matt. “Now, you saw that right?” “Yeah.” “That was a perfect example of what **_not_** to do. If a girl had a gun to his head, he probably would’ve apologized. I want you to show him how it’s done okay?” He nodded, and got into position. I swung first, and thankfully he dodged it. He made a false swing to the right and punched me in the side with his left fist. I shook it off and praised him. That was the point. He was supposed to be hitting me. But fucking hell, it hurt. It went on for another 3 minutes before he managed to hit me in the ribs and kick me in the shin. He didn’t go easy, I’ll say that much. I had hit him several times as well. His nose was bleeding and I’m sure his sides would be as bruised as mine. He finished it off with a kick to my lower back before the bell sounded.

“How did I do?” he asked. “You passed. Most definitely.” I said, wincing. “Are you okay? I didn't hurt you that bad did I?” “I’ll be fine. Minseok, you need a bit of work. I’ll pass you because I saw how you fought with SeoJoon. But you gotta get past the girl issue. If it comes to it, you’ll have to learn how to fight one, and in some cases, end their life. Am I making myself clear?” “Yes noona.” “You did good today. Let’s go home and rest. We have a meeting to attend to at six today and he will not want us to be late.”

~

(Baekhyun’s POV)

It had been an awful four weeks. On the Tuesday they said they would pick me up, I was taken to a large mansion. Way bigger than Ni-Ah’s. I had waited in the living room, which was decorated as if it was built in Greece. There were even actual pillars that held the whole mansion together. Apparently my boss had wanted to take a look at me and see if I would be enough. He had been friendly the day I had met him. He said my job was simple. All I had to do was sell some things for him. Deliver them places and bring back the money. It didn’t sound bad at the time before I found out what I’d be delivering. Marijuana. Ravi, was a drug lord. Apparently, his previous ‘assistant’ had gotten in trouble with a friend of his. By gotten in trouble, I mean they’re dead. Isn’t that absolutely fantastic.

Everything had started out fine. Except until last Friday. I was supposed to be delivering exactly 32g’s to some guy named Park JaeBeom. I was doing just that, about to walk into his driveway, when to my luck someone decided to jump me. I never got a good glance of who they were. All I know is that they took the drugs and the money. All $76,000. At this point I thought, might as well lay down on the street and wait for an upcoming car, but I couldn’t put the other’s in danger. So I walked back to his house and explained what happened. Needless to say that I now have a busted lip and a purple eye. It used to be a black eye, but the swelling is gone so now it’s just bruised.

We’re now driving to an ‘important meeting’ as he called it. I’m riding next to him and he looks over at me every few seconds. “You think they’ll notice?” he asks me. “Nah, I’m sure they won’t be distracted by my fucked up face, for sure.” I say. “I told you I was sorry. I’m pretty sure you’d get pretty pissed if you lost seventy-six grand.” “Yeah, but I wouldn’t beat the living shit out of you!” He rolled his eyes. We weren’t exactly friends, but we did have a companionship. He said he had felt bad for doing that since I’d been so nice to him. We were kind of awkward towards each other back then, but now we can have casual conversations. We don’t use honorifics even though I’m one year older. It seems weird in this whole situation, so we just settle with each other’s name. “Who are we meeting with?” I ask. “You’ll find out. I’m sure a few of them will be glad to see you though.”

~

(Chanyeol’s POV)

Surprisingly, the meeting is held at the casino. Odd place to hold a meeting if you ask me. We enter through the back door to avoid the club crowd. That place is always full. Even at midnight. We head over to some tables behind the bar. There are two people sitting at a table. One of them has light  brown hair and his ears are pierced. He looks young, around my age. There’s someone sitting next to him. It kind of looks like-. “Baekhyun!” exclaims Minseok, rushing over to him. “Hyung!” Baekhyun looks over at the other man and he nods. He immediately stands up and rushes towards us. “Baekhyun are you okay? We were so worried,” I say, pulling him into a hug. “What happened to your eye?” asks Minseok. “It’s nothing hyung. I’m okay. But what about you guys? How have you been?” “We’ve been great. Oh! Look,” I say, and I flex my arm. “Whoa, Yeolie. What did you do?” he asks, amazed. “Noona has been training us.” I say, proudly. “Well damn, sign me up.” Ni-Ah clears her throat. “Guys, we have a meeting to attend?” She motions for us to sit next to her while Baekhyun goes to sit next to the other guy again. “So what’s the meeting about?” I ask. The guy next to Baekhyun answers. “It’s mostly just between Ni-Ah and I, but I guess you guys are somewhat tied in.” He pauses. “Excuse my manners. Name’s Ravi. I’m a friend of Ni-Ah noona.” “Is Baekhyun staying with you?” I blurt out. “Yes, as a matter of fact he is. Why?” “What happened to his eye?” I ask. Minseok squeezes my arm as a sign that I should probably shut my mouth. “I told you it’s nothing, Yeol.” “It clearly is something. You don’t just get a bruised eye unless someone knocks you senseless.” I say, turning to look at Ravi. His jaw visibly tenses, and Ni-Ah reaches over to hold his hand. “The meeting, Ravi. What is it about?” she talks softly to him, while turning to give me a warning look.

“Oh yeah! I was going to ask something about your casino.” Ni-Ah gives him a confused look. “My casino? What about it?” she asks. “I’m going to need to ask you to hand it over. You see, I’m planning to move it somewhere else. Make it bigger and add my own touch to it. I’ll be able to sell more as well. Meet my demand.” She looks at him with a confused expression. “Ravi, what the hell are you talking about? The casino is mine. I can’t just hand it over. And I won’t. It was already difficult to open it, I’m not just going to hand you eight years of hard work.” “I don’t think you have a choice. I’m under orders you see.” Her eyes immediately widen and her expression turns cold. “Don’t tell me he’s behind this. Don’t you fucking dare tell me that son of a  _ bitch _ is ordering you to do this.” Ravi looks at her sympathetically. “I’m sorry noona, it’s nothing personal. It’s just business.” 

Her expression turns deadly. “Just business huh? Is that all this means to you?” “Noona, now don’t do anything you might regret-” “This is how you thank me? I gave you everything to get you where you are now. And for what? For you to be doing business with that snake behind my back? Why you ungrateful bastard-” “Noona-” “Don’t noona me. I’m not your noona. I wouldn’t have such an ungrateful dongsaeng. I want you to leave. Now.” “Let’s talk about this-” She stands up. “I. Said. Get. Out.” She’s basically snarling at him. “Ni-Ah-” She pulls out her handgun and aims it at him. “If I so much as see you, I’ll make sure to fill you with lead. Do you hear me? And you can tell that fucker that if he wants my casino, then he can come get it.”

Ravi puts his hands up and leaves the table. He takes Baekhyun with him before I can say goodbye. Ni-Ah sits back down and sticks her hands in her hair. She’s breathing heavily and I can see tears welling up in her eyes. “Noona? What’s wrong?” I ask, placing my hand on her shoulder. She sniffles and looks at me. “Everything Yeolie. Everything that could have possibly gone wrong, just has. I don’t know what to do anymore.” Her voice falters and she begins to cry. Minseok and I try our best to comfort while she drowns her choked sobs into my chest.


	9. Help

(Ravi’s POV)

The drive back home is filled with tension. The meeting had been a total bust. I mean, what did I expect? Ni-Ah is hard headed and stubborn. Of course she wouldn’t agree to this. Especially now that she knew who was behind it. I didn’t think it was fair either, but my opinion really doesn’t count. Ni-Ah might not have as much as I do but she’s still higher in class than I am. Both in the music career and other businesses. I was going to have to make a phone call the minute I got home and something tells me it’s not going to end well. “What happened?” asked Baekhyun after a while. “Can’t tell you. Things just didn’t go according to plan. And no, I’m not making the same mistake your friend did. It’s better that you stay out of it for your own safety.” We make it home and I turn off the engine. “Go inside. I’ll meet you inside in a couple of minutes.” He pauses for a minute, before exiting the car.

As soon as he goes in, I pull out my phone. He was expecting the call so he picked up on the first ring. “How did it go?” he asked. “Not as we would’ve hoped. She didn’t take it well to say the least.” “What did she say?” “She isn’t going to hand it over. She fucking threatened to shoot me. What was I supposed to do?” He laughed. “She hasn’t changed at all. Anything else?” I paused, considering whether I should tell him or not. “She said if you wanted to take over the casino, that you could come get it yourself.” There was a short pause before he laughed again. “Very well then, if that’s what she wants, who am I to deny her? Book me a flight to Seoul. She has exactly a month to reconsider.” “What are you going to do?” I could hear shuffling in the background. “You’ll see soon enough.” Is all he said, before the line went dead.

~

(Minseok’s POV)

Step two of our training started immediately the next morning. She had woken us up at 4am and gave us a protein shake for breakfast. Not to be rude, but she looked awful. It had only been a day and dark circles were already beginning to form under her eyes. Her skin, which had once been a fine porcelain, now looked grey and sickly. She was no longer her sarcastically humorous self, but instead she was rude and strict. We couldn’t even joke amongst ourselves without her giving us a lecture about how we had no time for joking. We didn’t have time for anything anymore. We put our stuff down on the bench and waited for her to give us our instructions. “What are you doing? Pick your stuff up. The shooting will take place on the rooftop.” Chanyeol was still a bit groggy so he was moving rather slow. Ni-Ah had no patience for anything. She walked over to him and pointed her gun at him. His eyes widened. “Noona, what are-” “Wake. Up. We don’t have time for your laziness. Next time, you won’t know whether to scream or cry when I shoot a hole into your leg. Get your head in the game. I’m training soldiers, not middle schoolers.” She tucked her gun back into her belt and walked towards the elevators.

We followed before she stopped us. “Take the stairs. It’ll do you good to get a little extra muscle.” I scoffed. “”It’s seven flights of stairs from here to the roof.” “Well then, I suggest you get going.” She entered the elevator and closed the doors. We opened the door to the staircase and looked up. That was a long ways up.

By the time we made it to the top, breathing was a difficult task. How did she expect us to be able to shoot a gun when I couldn’t stop focusing on the pain in my legs? Both me and Chanyeol were breathing heavily and took a minute to catch our breath. “Hurry up will you? It took you forever and a half to get up here! We don’t have time to-” I don’t know what possessed me to say what I did but something told me it was much needed. “We don’t have time. We know that already. That’s all you’ve been saying all morning! Yeah we don’t have time, so instead of reminding us every five seconds, why don’t we get stuff done?!” She stopped, her expression unreadable. Probably not the best thing to say while she’s holding several guns, but oh well. “You wanna get stuff done? Okay then.” She motions for me to pick one of the many firearms that are on the table. “Doesn’t matter which one. In the end, they’ll get the job done anyways.”

I take a look at the wide range of options. There’s your typical handgun and several shotguns, but I feel that those are just too loud and slow. There are about seven different types of assault rifles and machine guns. There are even a few sniper rifles present. After taking a long look, I settle for a double barrel handgun. It’s small, but like she said, it’ll get the job done. It’s already loaded so I wait until she tells me what exactly I’m supposed to do with it. “Since you’re so eager to get things done, I’m letting you go first. For being a brat, I’m going to give you exactly 3 tries to hit the bulls eye. If you get it in those three tries, I’ll forgive you. If you don’t, I’ll have to think of something to punish your disrespectful ass. Are we clear?” I nod. There are three targets, each further than the one before it. “I want you to shoot at the third one.” I look at her. “But that’s the farthest one.” “So?” “I’ve never fired a gun before.” “Good for you. Start.”

I move over so I’m standing directly in front of the third target. I raise the gun up and take a deep breath before pulling the trigger. The sound is louder than I expected and the force of it pushes me backwards a little. I open my eyes, which I never noticed I had closed, and look at the target. I hadn’t hit the bulls eye, but I had at least made it in the lower half of the circle. “You have two more tries.” I repositioned myself and took a good look to where the bullet had hit the first time, if I calculated correctly, I would hit the target perfectly if I raised it about two inches. I could feel the gun digging into my palms from how tightly I was holding it. I counted to three, before I fired it again, this time without shutting my eyes. The sound didn’t bother me anymore, and my feet had been firmly planted so I wouldn’t be pushed back. I put the gun down and look at Ni-Ah. “Second try, not bad. If you’re going to do this good every time, then you should act like a brat more often.” she gave me a small smile, the first since last night. “Alright, Chanyeol, you’re up.”

~

(Ni-Ah’s POV)

Training had been an absolute success. I had expected step two to be a lot harder than close combat. I mean it takes both physical and mental strength to fire a gun. I underestimated them. I dropped them off at home and told them that’d I’d be back in about an hour.

There were too many things going on and I couldn’t keep up with all of them. I was going to need a little help. I enter the casino again, taking a long look around. I always seem to take things for granted. And now that I’m at risk of losing it, it seems like the most valuable thing in my life. I scan the perimeter, looking for two people. I walk around and finally spot them, playing pool with about four other men. I walk over and catch their attention. They look up from their game and motion for the four guys to leave. “But what about our deal?” asks one of the guys. “The deal’s off now. So leave.” One of them says. “Why you little-” The other, fairly taller than the first, pulls out a stainless steel blade, and places it on the guy’s chest. “She said the deal’s off. You better leave before things get ugly.” The guy apologizes and signals for the other three to leave with him. She places the blade back under her belt and brings her attention back to me. “Noona! It’s so nice to see you!” she exclaims, coming to give me a hug. “It’s nice to see you too HwaYoung.” 

Kim HwaYoung was twenty-four. She had long black hair, (as of now. She’s always dyeing it) and various small tattoos. She was around my height and had eyes so dark you couldn’t see her pupils. Her ethnicity was unknown, having not met her parents. She was raised by her brother who as of now was living in America. Although she prefers to be called by her stage name (Yuna) I call her by her real name from time to time. Her friend, was Aria MinHyun. She was Korean-American, her dad having married an American woman whom he met in the Army.. She was significantly shorter, around Minseok’s height. She also had long hair, but hers was brown. Her eyes were brown as well. She gave off a lighter impression than HwaYoung. Aria also left the table to greet me with a hug. “Noonaaaaa! I haven’t seen you in months! How have you been?” she was hugging me very tightly. She was precious really. “I’ve been good, Aria. Thank you for asking.” I walked over to the tables by the bar and asked them to sit with me. “So what brings you here?” asks Yuna. “I’m about to get to that actually. I need your help. Both of you. There’s been an issue.” I proceed to explain what happened last night and how I was training both Minseok and Chanyeol. “Ravi sunbaenim really did that? And to think I looked up to him.” pouted Aria. “So you want us to get rid of Ravi?” asked Yuna. “No, I don’t. What I want you to do is to monitor every conversation he has. If you find anything suspicious or related to the casino, you let me know immediately.” I pull out my phone. “Aria, you’re the best at hacking. Do you think you can track his phone? I have his phone number if you need it.” I hand her my phone and she takes it. “Sure thing noona.” I look over at Yuna. “As for you, I need you to do something more dangerous. There is someone by the name of Byun Baekhyun in Ravi’s home. I need you to bring him to me okay?” She nods. “Alright then, you two will be in charge of the casino until I come back.” I say, leaving my seat. “Aria, there are security cameras in and around Ravi’s mansion. I need you to shut those off.” “Already working on it.” she says tapping furiously away at her phone. “Where are you going?” asks Yuna. “You need a diversion. I got that covered for you.”

~

I’m currently parked in between a few dense trees. They provide perfect foliage so I won’t be seen. I’m on the phone with Aria, telling her exactly what the plan is. “So you want me to act as your business woman or something? Am I not technically that in real life?” she asks. “Not really. You’re my friend more than anything. Okay let me go over it again. I’m going to call Ravi in exactly ten minutes. I will then tell him that I’m sending someone to discuss the meeting we had before. You’re then going to ask him the exact reason as to why he wants it and who is in charge-” “But don’t you already know that?” “Just stick to the plan. You’ll try to find out as much as you can while Yuna sneaks in through the back to look for Baekhyun. Once she finds him, she will contact me and I’ll communicate with you through your earpiece. You’ll end the discussion, and take the taxi I’ll send back home. Do not go to the casino or my house under any circumstances. You don’t want to give anything away. Got it?” “Sure thing, noona.” “Good. Ten minutes starts now.”

~

(Aria’s POV)

I make sure I look  presentable . Nothing too flashy, just a white dress shirt and a black skirt. I tie my hair up as well, and take a small purse with me. I double check to make sure the cameras are down and that my earpiece is working.

I walk towards the door and scan the area. There should be a camera right above the door. I look around and spot it. The light on top of it is switched off. Perfect. I wait exactly thirty seconds before I ring the doorbell. It takes him just fifteen seconds to open the door. “Aria? You’re noona’s business worker?” I give him a genuine smile. “Noona wanted someone she could trust, so she chose me. Can I come in?” “Of course,” he steps to the side to let me pass. I brush his side when I enter and goosebumps rise on my skin. I’ll never admit it to anyone, but that man makes my heart flutter. I couldn’t let that distract me though. Not after what he did to Ni-Ah. He offers me a seat on the living room couch. He sits on the one opposite of me.

“Why couldn’t Ni-Ah come and do this herself?” he asks, taking a sip of the wine that had been resting on the table. “She had other things to attend to. Or so she told me.” I make sure to keep eye contact with him as to not make things suspicious. But Christ, he was making it hard with the way he was looking at me. The casino, Aria. Ask about the casino. I clear my throat. “So it is to my understanding that somebody wants to buy Ni-Ah’s casino, correct.” “Yes.” “And may I ask who that may be?” He was either ignoring me, or he hadn’t heard the question since I received no answer. He was currently eyeing my legs, which were crossed, making my skirt raise ever so slightly. The way he had his thumb on his bottom lip, his tongue swiping out subconsciously had me extremely flustered and the room was getting unbearably hot. “Ravi sunbaenim? I asked you a question?” He looks up at me. “I’m sorry did you say something?” I sighed. “I asked if you could tell me who wants to buy the casino.” He gives a small smirk. He downs the glass of wine before speaking again. “I think you already know the answer to that question.” He stands from his seat to refill his glass. “One more thing,” He stops next to me and leans in. I can smell the alcohol in his breath as he whispers. “Call me oppa.”

~

(Yuna’s POV)

Once Aria had begun her little discussion with Ravi, I had snuck in through the kitchen door in the back. Ni-Ah had given me a run through of Ravi’s house. She said that he didn’t have many employees except the chef and a butler, but that I still had to be careful.

I was currently on the second floor. I had absolutely no fucking idea where this Baekhyun guy was and whether he would even cooperate. I had already looked in nine bedrooms and five bathrooms. There was no trace of him. Or anybody. I climbed up to the third floor and resumed my search. I was walking down a large hallway and turned the corner when I saw Ravi’s butler heading in this direction. I immediately turn around and enter the first room I see. The minute I walk in, I collide with something and I crash to the floor. I manage to scramble back up and shut the door. “Who are you?” I turn around. Turns out the ‘something’ I ran into was actually a ‘someone’. “Are you Byun Baekhyun?” I asked. “Yes? What are you doi-” I grab his wrist. “We have no time for explanations. I have to get you out of here.” I begin pulling him along, but he keeps yanking away. “Let go! I can’t just go with someone I don’t know!” He pulls his wrist out of my grasp. I’m starting to get agitated by this point. We should have already been in Ni-Ah’s car ten minutes ago. I don’t know how much longer Aria can distract Ravi. “Im sure you didn't just happen to know Ravi when you came here now did you?” “Yeah, but that was different. I was being held at gunpoint. Didn’t really have a choice ya know?” I pull him by the collar of his shirt, and stick my revolver to his head. “Guess you don’t have a choice now either huh?” I mock, before pushing him out the door. I really hope Aria can keep it up for a few more minutes… 

~

(Aria’s POV)

He was uncomfortably close now. Possibly intoxicated as well. His words slurred a bit when he spoke, and every once in awhile he would sway in my direction, sometimes getting so close that his breath would tickle my neck. I kept trying to ask him questions related to the casino, but something tells me he enjoyed talking about something else. Me to be precise.

“How come you look so classy today, hmm? You’re either dressing casual or flashy. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear a skirt before. Especially one so revealing.” He chuckled. “I approve.” He gave me a wide grin, eyes wandering down to my thighs. I subconsciously pulled it down. “Ravi sunbaenim, I came here strictly on business. So can you please be kind enough to answer-” “I told you to call me oppa. We know each other well enough, don’t you think? And besides, there’s many types of business… “ I turn a deep shade of red. “Business involving the casino, sunbaenim.” He looks at me, clearly bothered. “Do I make you uncomfortable, Aria?” he asks. “What do you mean?” “I mean, do I make you feel uneasy? Am I not good enough to be called oppa? Do I not meet your standards?” I am completely taken aback. “No, it’s just that we don’t know each other very well to be on that level of-” He scoots closer to me. “Let’s get to know each other then.” He is very close. Too close. In fact, he’s so close that whenever he speaks, his lips almost make contact with mine. I’m not sure how much more of this I can take.

I’m about to tear myself away, when I hear voices coming from the second floor. Ravi seems to hear them too because he turns around just as Yuna stumbles down the stairs with a struggling Baekhyun. My eyes widen, and I do the only thing I can do at this point. I take Ravi’s face in my hands, and press my lips against his. I can taste the alcohol in his mouth as he slips his tongue into my mouth. I motion to Yuna to get the hell out while she still can. Ravi pulls me atop of him and he’s nipping and biting at my lower lip. His hand is stroking up and down my thigh and I enter in full panic mode. I have no fucking idea what is going on so I result to what Ni-Ah told me to do in case of an emergency. Blindly, I reach over to my purse and grab hold of the sedative Ni-Ah had packed me. I pull off the top and inject it into his leg. He let’s out a groan as he releases my lips. “Aria, what the fuck-” I crawl off of him and gather my things. “I’m so sorry oppa, but I have to go now.” I say as I fix my skirt. I’m heading towards the door, when Ravi calls out, “Wait I never answered your question. His name’s Lay.” I turn around to thank him but by the time I do, he’s already unconscious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These characters are based on two of my actual friends. We call each other "noona" instead of unnie for joking reasons. Lind of the same way Jackson sometimes calls JB oppa XD. So don't think I'm dumb or something. Just thought I'd clear things up


	10. Confusion

(Ravi’s POV)

I wake up to a pounding headache. I sit up, neck sore from having slept on the couch. I rub my eyes and try to recall what the hell happened. I look at my watch. 7:30pm. I was out for three hours. I get up to serve myself a glass of wine. Call it Deja Vu, but suddenly everything came crashing back. The phone call, the meeting, the sedative, the kiss. The kiss. I almost choke on my drink. Aria had kissed me. Granted I was being a bit flirtatious, but I didn’t expect anything from it. And who was that girl that Baekhyun was with? And where was he now?

“Baekhyun?” I call out. No answer. “Baekhyun!” I try again. Still no answer. “SeungHyun! Come here for a minute.” My butler enters the living room. “Yes sir?” “Where is Baekhyun?” “I believe he left with one of the ladies about a few hours ago.” “Did you see what car he took?” “He didn’t take one sir. Him and that young lady got into a black car. Someone must’ve taken them somewhere else.” “And Aria?” “She left in a taxi, sir. Will that be all?” “Yes, put Lay on the phone. And get me an aspirin will you? My head is killing me.”

~

(Lay’s POV)

The night is illuminated by the many city lights. There are various ‘business’ owners waiting outside my office. My secretary motions for one of them to step in. “Name?” I ask. “C-Choi Kibum.” “And what business are you here for?” His stammering is really setting my nerves on edge. I should just shoot him now. They all meet the same fate anyways. “You w-were wanting to know how much I would sell my company for.” “And have you decided on a price?” He paused, probably to consider how much his shit company was actually worth. “34 million.” I scoff. “34 million? For that measly flea market of a company? You sell ‘designer’ jackets correct?” “Yes.” I chuckle. “That price is unreasonably high and you know it.” He has a determined look in his eyes. “I won’t sell it for any less. It took a lot to get it this far so I expect to receive what it’s worth.”

“As you wish.” I pull out a briefcase and hand it to him. “There you go. Just sign here to indicate that you handed this company over. It is now rightfully mine no matter what.” He signs it quickly and shakes my hand. He heads toward the exit. I look over at my secretary. She doesn’t need to be asked twice. In a second, she shoots him in the back of the head. He’s dead before he hits the floor. “Get the briefcase. Call Jonghyun to get rid of the body.” I say, putting on my coat. I’m about to exit the office when my phone rings. “Hello?” I answer. “Really? Are you sure? Okay. I’ll send someone over. No. Give me two weeks. Bye.” “What is it?” asks my secretary. I pick up the briefcase and put on my glasses. “Looks like we’ll be leaving for Seoul sooner than I thought.” I close the door behind me and walk out into the night.

~

(Aria’s POV)

I wait at home until Ni-Ah calls. Ever since I left Ravi’s I’ve had this nauseous feeling and I don’t know why. I also can’t grasp the fact that I flat out kissed him. No, I made out with the guy. Sure, I was supposed to be the diversion, but that was a little too far. Did I want to? Maybe. Did I like it? Also maybe. I couldn’t answer it yes or no. I was confused. The problem wasn’t him exactly. Much rather what he did. If he wasn’t standing on thin ice with Ni-Ah, then by all means I would’ve taken it further. But that isn’t the case now is it?

I ponder about for a few minutes when my phone begins to ring. I answer it quickly. “Ni-Ah noona? Is everything okay?” “Hey, Aria it’s Ravi. Can I talk to you for a second?” I freeze. Why is he calling me from Ni-Ah’s phone? “Ravi sunbaenim? What are you doing with noona’s phone?” “Why do you call her noona? She’s your unnie.” There he goes again, changing the subject. I put him on speaker, while I track his location. “What do you want?” “I just want to talk about earlier… If that’s okay with you.” I track his location, and he’s at Ni-Ah’s house. What the? “Ravi… Where are you right now?” He pauses. “I’m at home right now. Ni-Ah is here with me. But do you think you can come over? We have some things we need to discuss.”

I get up from the couch and get my car keys. There is something going on. I can feel it. Ni-Ah hasn’t called, Ravi has her phone, and he just lied to me about where he is. “Hey, oppa? I have to take a shower. I’ll be there as soon as possible okay?” I could practically see him smiling through the phone. “Okay, see you soon.” I hung up and immediately dialed Yuna. She picked up after the third ring. “Yuna are you okay? Where are you right now?” “I’m at my house with Baekhyun right now.” “What? Why? I thought you went home with Ni-Ah.” I could hear her whispering to Baekhyun to shut up. “We did, we were there, but we were being followed. We went inside and she told us to take the other car around the house.” I was beyond worried. “You left her by herself?! Why?” “She told me to! She said something about hiding Baekhyun. What’s wrong with you?” “Ravi has her phone, Yuna. He’s at her house. He called me on her phone and told me to go over to his house. He said he was at home. I’m going to Ni-Ah’s.” “No! You have to stay home! I don’t want anything to happen to you.” “And I don’t want anything to happen to Ni-Ah. Stay safe.” 

I hang up before she can protest any further. I make sure I have my revolver hidden in my jacket before I leave the safety of my home. I arrive at Ni-Ah’s house shortly. I make sure to park at the back of the house so nobody notices I’m here. I enter through the back garage door that I know is always unlocked. I walk past the bathroom and stay hidden in that hallway. I can hear voices, although I can’t make out what they’re saying. I peep out from the corner and see two men in suits, along with Ravi and Ni-Ah. She’s sitting down on her couch with Ravi across from her. The two men in suits are on either side of her, and I’m pretty sure they’re armed. “For the last time, I’m not giving him anything. Besides, even if I did. The fucker would probably kill me afterwards.” Ni-Ah said. I could see Ravi was conflicted. “You know he wouldn’t do that. He’s quite fond of you.” She laughed. “You don’t get it do you? That’s all part of his sick game. His own members don’t even know how much of a disgusting leech he is. Everything he shows to the public eye is a lie.” “He used to be different. You know that.” replied Ravi. She looked up at him. “That was just a mask hiding what was underneath. Once he got where he wanted, he wasn't afraid to show us who he really was. And to think I trusted him. Trusted you.” Ravi looked hurt. “Ni-ah, please reconsider.. It’s for your own good. I-” She got up, and the two men pulled out their guns. “I said no. If he wants it that bad, he can come meet me. I don’t care what he says. If it’s a war he wants, then I’ll give it to him.” One of the guys reached for his phone and asked her, “Is that your final answer?” She nodded, and he spoke into the phone. “Get rid of them.” On the other end, you could hear muffled screaming and a gunshot. I didn’t need anyone to tell me who was on the other line. Yuna.

I must’ve gasped without noticing it, but when one of the men turned around, I couldn’t hide quick enough. He rushed towards me and dragged me to the middle of the living room. I was thrown to the floor as he pressed the barrel of his revolver to the back of my head. Ni-Ah immediately pulled her gun out and pointed it to my assaulter. “You have exactly three seconds to let her go, or I’ll blow your damn brains out.” I don’t really cry under pressure, but as of now, I was sobbing like crazy. The other man pointed his gun at Ni-Ah and clicked a bullet into place. I looked at Ravi with tear filled eyes. He wouldn’t let them shoot us. Would he? Ravi was about to speak when two gunshots blasted through the house. I shut my eyes, expecting pain, but received none. When I opened my eyes, the two men were on the floor; dead. Me and Ni-Ah turned around to see Chanyeol and Minseok at the door, gun in hand.

“Move and you’re next.” said Minseok, aiming his gun at Ravi. He rushed over to Ni-Ah, checking if she was injured. I got up to check on her as well, before approaching Ravi. “Who were they?” I ask, voice faltering. He stays silent for a little, then looks over at Chanyeol and Minseok. He whispers his reply, so that they won’t overhear. “They work for Lay. Or worked.” “Is he the one behind all this?” He nodded. Suddenly, I remembered Yuna. I run over to Ni-Ah. “Noona, we have to go check on her. We need to see if she’s okay. Now! We don’t know if she’s hurt or worse-.” “Aria, calm down, we’re going to head over-” “Calm down?! CALM DOWN? My best friend could be gravely injured and you’re telling me to calm down?!” I grab my keys and rush out to my car. No way in hell am I going to wait. I get in my car and drive to Yuna’s as fast as possible.

Once I arrive, I go to open the door, but it was already open, left slightly ajar. I let myself inside and turn on the lights. There was an absolute mess. Things were broken, and thrown about, but what made my blood run cold was not the mess, but a large, red stain on the carpet. Ni-Ah and the others walk in just as I inspect the stain. “Please tell me that’s not what I think it is.” says Chanyeol. “It’s blood, Ni-Ah. And Baekhyun and Yuna are missing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BACK AT IT AGAIN WITH THE SHORT CHAPTERS. Chapter 9 was a little longer so I'll try to make them that length if not longer. Stick with me people!


	11. Decisions

(Yuna's POV)

I have no idea where I am. My eyes are blindfolded and both my arms and legs are tied to a chair. I can hear indistinct chatter and footsteps approaching. “We should take the blindfold off don't you think? It's only polite that she make eye contact with me when I speak. It's considered respectful.” I can hear someone walking towards me and untie the blindfold from my behind. Instinctively, I push my head back and hit the unknown person in the forehead. He curses, and pulls my hair back. “You little-" “Unhand her please.” says the voice. “Let her do it herself. Untie her.” I can feel the rope being undone from my hands, and I yank the blindfold off. 

The room is dimly lit so my eyes take a while to adjust to the darkness. “Feisty one, aren't you?” I turn toward the voice. I look up and see a tall, well dressed man. Around his mid twenties maybe. He was wearing an expensive looking black low v cut shirt and had brown hair which was styled neatly. He was handsome, I'll give him that. “Who are you?” He took a few steps forward so that he was now directly in front of me.

“Zhang Yixing. But you may know me as Lay.” The name struck me like a bullet. I narrowed my eyes at him. “ _ You?  _ You're the one behind all this? What do you want?” He kneeled down so that we were now level to each other. “I want you to help me with something. I have a feeling you know what it is, so I don't have to explain myself to you.” “You really must be crazy if you think I'll help you with anything. I’d rather die than put anyone in danger.” He looked amused. “Okay then. Bring the other one in.” I turn around to see one of his men drag Baekhyun into the room. They push him to the floor in front of me. “Kill him.” He says to the lady next to him. “What are you doing? He didn't do anything!” I protest. “You said you'd rather die than put anyone in danger. So once I'm done with him, I'll kill you next. You shouldn't have a problem watching him die, after what you did to Jonghyun. Remarkable really, how you could just slit someone's throat like that? Have you no remorse?” I bite my lip to try to stop myself from speaking my mind, but fail. “Not for bastards like you.”

He looks at his secretary and she looks at Baekhyun. “Sir, is it not wiser to spare them? You could use them for your plan.” He looks over at her. “What do you mean?” “You can use them to blackmail Miss Kim. If they're truly important to her, she's bound to give you what you want.” He contemplates her reasoning. “She might be, but he is no use to me.” “Sir, we should still spare them both. That way, she'll have two lives on the line.” He smiles at her. “ MeiBo, you are truly brilliant. This is why you're my favorite.” He gives her a grin and ruffles her hair.

He leans in to whisper in my ear. “You'll end up helping me one way or another,” He lowers his voice even more so I hardly catch what he said “Besides, there are many ways a pretty girl like you can help me.” I tear away from him. “Go to hell.” I spat. It happened so fast that I didn't even feel it when his palm made contact with my cheek. The blow was strong enough that my entire upper body twisted to the left. He grabs hold of my chin, and turns my face towards him.

“Tsk tsk, such a disrespectful mongrel. We have a lot of work to do to fix that mouth of yours.” He gets up and turns around to say something to MeiBo, completely forgetting that he had asked for the other guy to untie my hands. This whole time, I’ve been discreetly loosening the knots that are tied around my ankles. Once I undo the last knot, I nudge Baekhyun with my foot. He looks at me as I try to explain to him how we’re going to get out of here. He slowly leans back on his haunches, so when the time comes, he’s prepared to run. I observed Lay, and found no trace that he was carrying a weapon. MeiBo and the guard were probably in charge of that. I don’t how much of a good fighter he is, but I think I can buy us some time. 

I jump off the chair and they immediately turn around. Baekhyun takes the guard and pulls him in front of him just as Lay throws a punch. The guard is hit on the nose and falls to the side just as MeiBo pulls out her gun. Baekhyun freezes and I pull him out of the way. MeiBo just stands there. Why isn’t she shooting? I take the opportunity and make a run for the exit. Lay snatches the gun from her hands and fires.

~

(Ni-Ah’s POV)

We’re all sitting in the living room, unsure of what to do. Yuna and Baekhyun were missing. There was a huge blood stain on the carpet of Yuna’s home. We could only expect the worst. It was around one in the morning now, but nobody was tired. We were waiting for some miracle to happen. Some kind of news. Minseok gets up eventually and excuses himself. He’s been the most quiet out of all of us. Something’s bothering him, but he keeps insisting that he’s fine.

We’ve all been making small talk, trying to lighten the mood, but Minseok’s been gone for fifteen minutes now. I excuse myself as I climb to the second floor. I’m going to figure out what’s bothering him so much.

(Minseok’s POV)

The moment I enter my room, I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Tonight’s events were swimming in my head, constantly reminding me of what I had done. I had killed someone. Two people actually. At the time I had felt nothing; the adrenaline coursing through my veins had numbed out most of my emotions. But now, they were all crashing upon me at the same time. Guilt the strongest of them all. I don’t regret it, at least I think I don’t. I did it to save Ni-Ah’s life. I hadn’t even noticed that her friend was also in peril. The moment I saw that she was in danger, it was as if something in me snapped and I didn’t know who I was anymore. I had felt absolutely nothing. But as I exhaled a shaky breath, I couldn’t hold in the tears that had been threatening to fall all night. I felt like a monster. And that will live within me for the rest of my life.

I sat on my bed and crossed my legs. What if someone found out? I would lose all my friends, my family. Nobody could love a murderer… Somebody knocks on the door and I quickly wipe the tear stains from my face. “Minseok? It’s Ni-Ah. Can I come in?” I clear my  throat before speaking. “Yes, noona.” my voice falters anyways. “Minseok? What are you doing up here? Everyone is worried… Are you okay?” She comes and sits next to me. “Minseok? Why are you crying?” “I’m not. Really noona, I’m okay.” “Are you sure? You can tell me anything you know. I’m here to listen. I care about you, I don’t like seeing you upset.” That was it. That was all it took to get me sobbing. I buried my face in my hands. How embarrassing. She must think I’m pathetic. She pulls me into a hug and soothes circles into my back.

“Are you going to tell noona what’s bothering you now?” I nod into her shoulder and break away from the hug. “I-I killed two people today Ni-Ah. You know how terrible that feels? To be responsible for the death of someone? A-And the worst thing is, that I didn’t even flinch. It was as if I didn’t care. But I do. I don’t know what happened… I feel like a monster. How can you stand to be near me when you know I took someone’s life away?” She smiled. “The same way you saved the life of someone responsible for hundreds of deaths. If you could save the life of a murderer, then I can stand to be in front of you right now.” 

My heart is beating rapidly and I can’t think straight. I can’t help but glance down at her lips. They looked so tempting and I just couldn’t resist them anymore. “Kiss me” I say softly. Her mouth parts slightly. “What?” I can feel the butterflies in my stomach. “Kiss me.” It seemed to me that the reason she asked ‘what’ was not because she didn’t hear me, but because she wanted to make sure that those words actually came out of my mouth. She was looking for approval. I didn’t need to ask a third time. She leaned in and captured my lips with hers eagerly, as if she was waiting for this moment as long as I have. It started off gentle, taking our time to really feel each other’s lips mold against themselves. After a while, they became desperate. Like our lives depended on it. Her tongue slips into my mouth, gentle but demanding, and it’s nothing like I’ve ever experienced. I suddenly understand why people describe kissing as melting, because every square inch of my body dissolves into hers. My fingers grip her hair, pulling her closer. My veins throb and my heart explodes. I have never wanted anyone like this before. Ever. She pulls me onto her lap and we make out with the door left wide open for everyone to see. I don’t care. I don’t care about any of that. All I want is her. The way her hands roam over my body is extraordinary. I feel her- all of her- pressed against me and I inhale her perfume, her shampoo and that extra scent that’s just…her. She feels wonderful. Her hands are everywhere and it doesn’t matter that her lips are already on top of mine. I want her closer.

“Noona? Is Minseok okay? We’re gonna-” Aria is heading up the steps. I immediately jump off of Ni-Ah’s lap and try to fix my hair and clothes. Ni-Ah is patting her hair down and fixing her lip gloss which had gotten smeared. Aria entered the room. “We’re gonna order some takeout and coffee. Might as well stay up all night in case we hear something. Xiumin sunbaenim? Are you okay now?” “Yes! I’m fine. Ugh, let’s go downstairs now. Everyone is probably wondering about us.” “Yeah, they are. Come on then. Chanyeol is ordering so you can tell him what you want.” “Great! Let’s go then.” Ni-Ah goes down first. She’s the best at acting casual. Better than me at least. I’m walking down with her friend when she nudges my shoulder. “I won’t tell anyone if you don’t want me to.” I look at her, eyes widened. “What are you-” “It’s pretty obvious. Your body language, stuttering, and besides, your lips are swollen.” I just stare at her. “Don’t worry, nobody else will notice. I’m a profiler. I’m good at observing people.” She smiles, as she skips down the rest of the stairs. My head is still a bit cloudy, and my jeans are uncomfortably tight. Did that just happen?

~

(Chanyeol’s POV)

I didn’t have much of an appetite. Not with everything that was going on. I picked at the bulgogi on my plate. I really hope Baekhyun is okay. And Yuna too. I know how much she means to Ni-Ah. “If you’re not gonna eat that, I’ll take it.” says one of Ni-Ah’s friends. What was her name again? “I’m gonna eat it. I’m hungry.” I say, picking up a piece and putting it in my mouth. “You don’t look hungry. Come on, I’ll eat it for you.” she says, tugging at my plate. I pull it back. “I said I’m going to eat it!” “You say that now, but you’ll probably throw it away later!” she argued, pulling at the plate again. “Aish woman! Let go!” she let’s go, but takes the meat off my plate with her chopsticks and eats it before I can take it back. “Yah!! What the hell is your problem?!” “You weren’t gonna eat it!” “Yes I was!!” “Guys, stop flirting.” says Ravi. Aria whips around to look at him. “You shut your mouth! I’m not flirting with anyone!” Ravi joins the argument. “You don’t have to yell at me!” Soon everybody is arguing about the most insignificant things and I’m about to yell at everyone to shut up, when the door swings open. We all turn around to see Yuna, half carrying, half dragging Baekhyun through the door. I get up so fast that I feel lightheaded and rush over to them. “Yuna… Are you okay? What’s wrong with him?” She’s panting and her hands and face are covered in blood. “He’s fine. They just managed to shoot him in the leg. I tied a rag around it to stop the bleeding, but he’ll need medical attention.” She stumbles, and I reach out, helping her and Baekhyun to the couch. Ni-Ah pushes everyone away to give them some air. “Yuna, what happened?” Yuna was still panting heavily, but she paused and looked up at her. “Its Lay. He’s already in Seoul.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I needed to explain a few things to my friends when they read this chapter so I'll explain it to you guys too. Baek is blindfolded so he doesn't know it's Lay, and in the insanity of it all, he had no idea it was him speaking either, he was just focused on getting out. Second, when Yuna tells Ni-Ah that Lay is in Seoul, she is only speaking directly to her so nobody else hears. Hope that cleared up a few doubts! On to the next Chapter!


	12. Bliss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SMUT WARNING. There's some smoky kinks up ahead that might make some of you uncomfortable. If you don't want to be exposed to that, then skip the part right after Ni-Ah enters her room. For everyone else, I hope you enjoy!

(Lay’s POV)

How dare she. How fucking dare she. Just run off like that okay sure. After I spared her miserable life and that other fucker? She’ll get what she deserves sooner or later. I down my fourth shot and loosen my tie. Why did I think it was a good idea to do business today? I might as well not pretend that I’m going to let them live. Just line them up and shoot them like pigs waiting for slaughter. Once the last one is dealt with I call for Meibo to enter my office. “You called, sir?” “Sit down.” She quickly took a seat in the chair in front of my desk. “I couldn’t help but notice a little delay yesterday night. Can you tell me why that happened?” She turns to look at me. “Sir?” I grab her face roughly. “You know exactly what I’m talking about so answer the damn question.” I say, tensely. She whimpers and I let go. She massages her jaw, and I can see tears shining in her eyes. “When did you become so weak?” I spat. She stood up and glared. “I am not weak. In fact, I consider myself a quite necessary part of your team. I am the brains of the operation. Where would you be without me? If I had shot them, you wouldn’t even have a chance of getting them back as crucial blackmail now would you?” I chuckled. “There’s the MeiBo I love. You can take today off. Let’s give them a few weeks. Make them feel a false sense of security. They won’t know what hit them.”

~

(Chanyeol’s POV)

Ni-Ah had a performance today, so I was in charge of caring for Baekhyun. Minseok didn’t want to risk the media finding out that Baek had a gunshot wound, so Ni-Ah brought in a friend of hers to cure his wound. She had removed the bullet and stitched everything up and gave him some antibiotics. He didn’t need crutches or anything. He could walk but with a little limp from time to time, but he took it to a whole nother extreme. “Yeeeeol, can you bring me a glass of water?” “Baekhyun, the kitchen is literally down the hall.” “I can’t walk though.” “Yes you can, you just don’t want to.” “Exactly.” “Get it yourself, it’ll do your leg well.” He sighed dramatically. “If you don’t want to, then I’ll just ask Xiumin hyung.” “He’s not here remember? He went to see Ni-Ah perform.” “AAAH. Can nobody bring me a glass of water?!” “Yeah.” “Who?” “You,” He stared at me. “I will end you.”

~

(Aria’s POV)

Why did I agree to this. I could’ve said no. Flat out rejection. But I wanted to. Truly. Ravi had invited me to a dinner date. Not necessarily my favorite type of date, but he’s a classy guy. It’s probably the only type of date he knows. What I found odd was that he asked me to dress in a casual manner, such as jeans and a t-shirt. Why would I dress like that for a dinner date? Maybe he was taking me to a BBQ place. I decided on a typical lazy day outfit. It was comfortable but cute. I wait outside my house for him to pick me up. After about ten minutes he pulls into my driveway. He gets out of the car and I inhale so hard it hurts. If I thought he looked good in fancy outfits, he looked incredible in casual clothes. He was wearing a grey hoodie and ripped jeans. Simple, but to me it looked outstanding on him. “Wow. You make even everyday clothes look ravishing.” There go those damn butterflies again. “You don’t look too bad yourself. So where are we going?” He opens the car door for me. “You’ll see. I have a good feeling that you’ll like it.”

~

“An arcade?! You’re joking right?” Excitement is already bubbling inside me. “When Ni-Ah and I made amends, I asked her what you did for fun. She gave me a rundown and you seemed to like childish things so I figured the arcade would be perfect.” “You are the best I swear.” I was already unbuckling my seatbelt. “Let’s go let’s go let’s go!!!!” We get out of the car and I pull him through the doors. As soon as we entered we were illuminated by various colorful lights and the sounds of video games and claw machines filled our ears. I open my purse to check how much money I brought with me. Unfortunately, thinking it was a dinner date, I had only brought enough for a tip. Ravi noticed, pulled out his wallet and placed a wad of fives and tens in my purse. “Don’t worry. I got us covered.” I took out the fives first and pulled him towards the claw machines. “Let’s go have some fun.”

~

By the end of our arcade date, he had won me 4 Pusheen plushies and two Ryan plushies. He had also bought me a new bag along with a pair of heels. I managed to win him a Kiiroitori plushy and I bought him a pair of sunglasses. We stopped by an ice cream shop before going home. I ordered a plain vanilla cone with sprinkles and he ordered a strawberry cone. We sat outside on the tables provided. “Did you have fun?” he asked. “Yes! We need to do this again sometime.” I take a bite of my cone. “You really want to do this again?” “Yeah. Why do you sound so surprised?” “I just figured you’d think of it as a one time thing I guess.” We finished our ice cream and headed towards the parking lot. “I’d go again. It doesn’t even have to be the arcade. As long as it’s with you I’m bound to have a good time.” He turns to look at me. I realize what I said and blush. “I mean, because you’re such a nice guy, a-and you took the time to actually find out what I like. I’m not saying that you wouldn’t, I mea-” “Aria,” he cups my face. I’ve basically stopped breathing. “What?” “Shut up.” He laughs, before attaching his lips to mine.

~

(Ni-Ah’s POV)

I finish my performance and head backstage. I make sure I have everything before heading towards the back exit. Minseok is already waiting by my car when I get there. “Noona! You did great out there!” “Did you enjoy it?” “Yes!” “Good, because we’re going out to celebrate.”

~

“But what do you mean he can’t go out?” I ask, over the phone. “You said he could walk, he’s not gonna be doing anything dangerous. Aish why? Fine fine whatever. Bye.” I hang up. “Guess we’re not going anywhere after all. Baekhyun has to stay at home and I don’t want to leave him behind.” Everyone groans. I had reserved the club for us and a few extra friends, but turns out that plan is now cancelled. “You can always bring the party here.” Suggests Ravi. “I am not inviting 100 other people to my house, Ravi.” “No, I mean just us. We can plug in some speakers, grab a few drinks and we’ll have the same amount of fun.” “Okay, but just a few drinks okay?” “Yes, noona.” They say in unison.

~

Two hours. Two hours is all it took for everyone to lose their shit. Yuna had drank a whole wine bottle on her own and was passed out somewhere in the living room. Baekhyun couldn’t handle the tequila so he was now throwing up in his red plastic cup. The survivors, as we called ourselves are playing an intense game of UNO. Ravi slams a card on the table. “DRAW FOUR.” He exclaims to Aria. “I fucking hate you. That’s the third time already.” “Sorry babe, I gotta survive.” “Ravi, this is UNO, not the Hunger Games.” I state. “It’s a game, and I’m hungry.” says Chanyeol. “Can we just play the fucking game? I’m getting tired.” says Minseok. “Yeah, same.” I agree. “You could always give up and I win by default.” said Ravi. “No you don’t. That’s not how the game works.” says Aria. “Shhhhhhh, I know exactly what I’m doing.” he slurs. “I’m going to bed. Here take my cards.” I get up and head upstairs. “Me too guys, see you in the morning.” Minseok joins me upstairs. I don’t know if it’s the alcohol talking, or I’m paying more attention to details, but Minseok is really good looking. Like really good looking. He wasn’t even trying. He just had on a t-shirt and skinny jeans. He had no makeup and his hair was wavy and untouched.

I blame the alcohol for everything. That’s all I’ll say. Minseok was about to enter his room, when I grabbed his wrist and told him to come into mine instead. He didn’t even hesitate. I let him go in first and I shut the door. I locked it for good measure too. After that, there was no delay. I pulled him in and crashed my lips against his once again. He hummed at the familiar feeling while I guided us to my bed. I push him gently onto it, climbing up to straddle his hips. I can already feel him through his jeans and it’s pressing against my inner thigh. I reconnect our lips and start to grind in small circular motions against his crotch. He starts to let out breathy sighs as I fasten the pace. I increase the pressure and he tightens his grip on my hips, thrusting up a few times to increase the friction. I pulled away, tugging on his lower lip and making him groan. I unbutton his jeans, hook my fingers into the belt loops and pull his pants down to his ankles. He proceeds to kick them off himself along with his socks and pulls off his shirt. He let’s out a surprised moan when I palm him through his boxers, taking them off excruciatingly slow. Once they’re off, I press my lips against his again, and grip his hard-on making him whine against my lips. I begin pumping him, gripping the base downward and pressing it tightly until his legs quiver. “Fuck,” he breathes against my mouth and I started pumping faster and harder while occasionally digging my nails against the head, making him buck his hips up to meet my thrusts. I removed my hand from his cock way too soon, drawing out a long, frustrated ‘mommy’ from him. It sent my head reeling and heat to gather in my lower area. “Patience, baby boy,” I brush my lips against his lips, up his jawline, and up to his ear. I place a light kiss at the back of his ear before taking his earlobe in between my teeth; whispering against his ear. “All fours.” He presses his hands and knees against the bed, positioning on all fours as told. I press my clothed body against his from behind; hovering him, before grabbing a latch of his hair, pulling at it to make him look up at me with the most innocent look on his face. “You’re such a good boy for Mommy,” I capture his lips in another heated kiss, gliding my tongue against his lower lip as I roam my hand all over his back, chest and abs. I let go of his hair and started unbuttoning my top and removing my bra, as he stared at me while I undress in front of him. I toss them to the floor before pressing myself against his back. Minseok clutched the covers beneath him when I started to roll my chest against his bare back, breath hitching when I roll harder into his skin. “Mommy… “ He begged and I press my lips against his neck, murmuring a soft ‘hmm’ to answer his plea. “I want to touch you,” he breathed. “All in good time. Let me make you feel good first okay?” He nods and I get off before kneeling behind him; making him turn his head to get a view of what I’m about to do. “Face front,” I say sternly. He turned back around to face the wall in front of him.

I began to leave open mouthed kisses against the ridges of his back, grinding my center against him, making him push against my pelvis to meet my thrusts. I kissed and sucked lower and lower, until I reached the bottom of his spine. I suck on that spot hard enough to leave a mark, making Minseok throw his head back and a breathless ‘mommy’ escaped his lips. I grind his hips tightly, holding him in place as I continue to suck and lick at the sensitive spot. “Oh fuck, Mommy,” He groaned loudly as I dug my fingernails against the soft skin of his hips. I kiss down each side of his hip bones, making sure to leave bruises with each one. My core was pooling with arousal from Minseok’s high pitched whines and how perfect he looks in this position. I reach beneath his body to grab his pulsating erection, making him bite his lower lip when I pump it a few times, before reaching for his entrance. I slowly ran the pad of my middle finger against the outline, sending him a moaning, quivering mess before me. “Have you ever been fingered before?” I ask, continuing to run my finger in that spot; making him let out a breathy whine before shaking his head. “N-no Mommy,” He answered. I got off the bed and searched through my vanity drawer for the familiar, rounded container. Once in hand, I returned to my position behind Minseok before coating my middle and index finger with the lube. “Relax, you trust me right?” he nods quickly. “Good boy,” I circled his rim, making him hiss loudly and for his legs to shake ever so slightly. I leaned forward, placing small kisses on the back of his neck, before inserting the tip of my middle finger inside his entrance, drawing out a broken cry from his lips. I pushed my finger deeper and deeper inside him torturously slow. Minseok’s breaths are sharp, his eyes are tightly shut, his jaw slacked, and his chest is heaving up and down like crazy as I stopped; giving him time to adjust. I grabbed his chin up and his eyes open as I place a light kiss against his lips. “You’re doing so good baby,” I kissed him again while I slowly remove my finger from him. When it’s just the tip left, I push it back in at a faster, harder rate, stimulating his prostate with every jolt. He’s now gripping the sheets so hard, his knuckles are white. He starts to rock his hips against the movements unconsciously, his legs begin to tremble so I grip his member, pumping him at a steady pace while continuing my previous actions inside him. Minseok’s whines become higher in pitch and he has his head leaned against the headboard while he cries out my name multiple times and some strings of profanity. He’s getting so close to his climax by the way he’s gripping the pillows and how hard he’s pressing his toes and knees into the mattress. “Fuck M-mommy-I-I’m… I’m so close- please” he stuttered, unable to complete his sentence. I push him on his back, flipping him so his head hits the mattress while continuing my movements.

I insert another digit inside him and set a faster pace while pumping him at equal speed. “Are you getting close?” I breath out. “Y-yes oh my god, please make me- please let me cum Mommy- I’m so close,” His hands are in his hair, tugging on it as I continue to pump him. As soon as Minseok steps into his high, I completely withdrew both my hands. His body began to quiver and shake and tears are threatening to spill from his eyes. His whimpers are quiet and soft, making my heart flutter. I grab a tissue from the bedside table and wipe off my hand before removing the rest of my clothes. I quickly straddled him and grabbed his arm, placing it around my waist. His trembling hands squeeze my hips lightly. “Should I let you finish now, baby?” He nodded vigorously. His breath hitched when I began to grind myself against his erection. I continued kissing while slowly lifting my hips, my other hand snaking beneath me to grab his member. I pumped him slowly, swiping the precum on the head with my thumb before stroking him slowly. I didn’t prolong the agony, so I slowly slid the head of his member inside my walls. His breath hitched and he dug his fingers against my hips when I pulled out, rubbing the head against my clit, teasing him. I kissed him briefly, before sitting on his cock, clenching around him. A strangled groan escaped his lips and a breathy moan escaped from mine when his length stretched me out. I started to rock my hips at a slow motion, adjusting to his size. I began to pull out and then slam my hips back down repeatedly, while his hands roamed upwards towards my breasts. I continued to grind my hips against his while I clenched around him, getting him closer to his peak. He thrusts upwards to meet mine and I finally succumb to my peak, burying my face in Minseok’s neck. I slide off of him and help him reach his high. I grip him once again and begin stroking, grazing the large vein and the underside with my nails. Not long after, I swirl my tongue at the tip, before pushing the head past my lips while still pumping the base. He pressed his soles into the mattress to avoid thrusting into my mouth. I removed my hand and loosened my grip on his hips to allow him to buck his hips a little. I pulled off him with a pop, only to push him back in deeper than before. His stomach tensed and his legs and thighs trembled heavily as his orgasm came crashing down on him. His release coated the insides of my throat. I didn’t pull away just yet, and I continued to suck around him until he was screaming, moaning, and begging for me to pull away. I let go before wiping off the remainder of his release off of his member. Minseok let out one last call of my name before his back hit the mattress and his eyes flutter close, while his arms and legs are still spread widely against my bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAH IDK IF IT'S GOOD. I need feedback children!! Other than that, Next chapter!!


	13. Aftermath

(Minseok’s POV)

 

I can begin to hear the early birds outside the window. I don’t want to get up. It’s the best sleep I’ve gotten in weeks. The tickling under my nose is odd though. I’m practically drowning in the smell of vanilla which I find strange. Only Ni-Ah smelled like that… I open my eyes slightly and focus on my surroundings. What the? This is not my room. I turn to the left and freeze with shock. Ni-Ah is fast asleep, hair splayed in a waterfall above her head, which was what was tickling my nose earlier. Her lips are slightly parted and the sheets only covered up until her lower back. I noticed, that she was wearing no top, or bra either and my mind starts to wonder. I then realize, that I am completely naked as well. A thought clicks into my head and I sit up quickly, wincing at how sore some ‘areas’ of my body were. Oh no. I get up off the bed and rush to the bathroom. I inspect myself in the mirror and surely enough, there were numerous purple marks on my neck, collarbone, hips, spine, and inner thighs. I try to recall last night’s events, but my head is a scrambled mess. How am I going to hide these? What will Ni-Ah say when she wakes up? Does she even remember? What if she regrets it?

 

I exit the bathroom to look for my clothes, and I see Ni-Ah is already awake, walking into the bathroom, not bothering to shield her body. I am incredibly perplexed and I don’t know where to look besides the floor. “Good morning, Minseok-ah. Did you sleep well?” she asks, voice still heavy with sleep. “Yeah,” She smiles and I get that butterfly feeling again. “I thought so. Did you enjoy last night?” I swallow the lump in my throat. Fragments of last night’s events made their way into my mind and I could feel the heat rise to my cheeks. “Do you regret it?” she asks. Did I? How could I regret something I don’t remember clearly? But even if I did, I’d be crazy to even consider regretting it. “No, I don’t.” She walks up to me and runs a hand through my hair. “Good. Because I don’t either.” She pulls me into the bathroom with her and starts filling the tub. She adds different types of scented soaps that make bubbles start to form. “Are- are we taking a bath? Together?” “Only if you want to.” She tests the water before stepping in. I stand there waiting for her approval. “The water will get cold if you don’t hurry.” 

I quickly step in and submerge myself in the warm water. She pulls me closer to her, and lays her head on my shoulder, wrapping her arms around my waist. “Penny for your thoughts?” I lean my head against hers, and take a deep breath. “Why me?” I ask, tilting slightly to look at her. “What do you mean?” “Why’d you choose me? I mean, I’m not anything special. I’m not the best looking. You could’ve chosen Chanyeol. He’s tall, lean and knows how to cheer people up.” She looks at me, a small frown forming on her lips. “Minseok-” “And I know what you’re going to say. I’m special in my own way and whatever. But is that even enough?” Her frown deepens but her voice remains soft. “You’re special to me. Who cares if you’re not tall or go out of your way to make others laugh? It’s enough for me and that’s all that matters.” I feel my chest constrict at her words. I actually meant a lot to her. And that made me feel happier than I ever thought I’d feel. She presses her forehead against mine and cups my face. “You have no idea how much I love you.” she whispers against my lips. And that’s all the confirmation I need. I am in love with Kim Ni-Ah.

~

(MeiBo’s POV)

 

I decided to use my short vacation to take some time to myself. I don’t really get to treat myself these days, being busy and such. Currently, I’m at a dinner restaurant, having had reserved a table a few hours before. In the hours before dinner, I had gotten my nails done and had gone shopping. 

Normally, Lay only gives me eight minutes of personal time. Usually because he’s either on the phone or polishing his shoes. I can’t really explain the relationship I have with him. Some days, he brings me small gifts or takes me to eat someplace, but other times… Let’s just say that I have to cover bruises every once in awhile. And not the good kind. 

He doesn’t take nicely to anyone contradicting him. But at the same time, if I don’t, he says I’m acting weird. It’s complicated. I’ve thought of leaving plenty of times before, trust me. But it’s not that easy. He practically owns me. My parents were poor. They had no money to feed themselves, so how did they expect to feed a growing seventeen year old? Long story short, they sold me to Lay for $5,000.

 

He told them I’d be modeling for a cosmetics line. Obviously, that didn’t happen. I don’t know where they are or if they’re even alive these days. A lot can happen in five years. It can definitely change a person. It changed me.

I was eating my Japchae when my phone started to ring. I gulped down the noodles and answered. “Hello?” “MeiBo, I need you to come over. Now.” I sigh. “But Lay, this my off day-” “You have ten minutes.” He hung up. I finish as much of my meal as I can, before leaving the check on the table. Maybe not today, but one of these days, I’m really going to give him a piece of my mind.

~

I ring the buzzer outside the gates of his house. “Name?” he asks. “Meibo.” “Just on time! Good job.” he praises. It really is beginning to get on my nerves. The gates open and I walk towards the front door. He’s already waiting for me and he steps aside to let me enter. He leads me to the sitting area and tells me to sit. 

“What is it now?” I ask, irritated. “Tone the attitude down, and I’ll tell you.” “Aish you sound like my father.” He laughs. “It’s hard to sound like someone who’s dead don’t you think?” I turn to look at him. “What?” He looks even more amused. “I didn’t tell you did I? About two weeks after I told him you’d be modeling he called the company to see your photoshoots. Can you believe it? Of course the company had no fucking idea what he was talking about. He was raising suspicion and making a complete fool of himself so I sent Jonghyun to kill him. What a catch huh? As for your mother, she kept the money but had her throat cut by some beggar. Kind of ironic don’t you think?” He chuckled and sat down. 

I had no idea what to feel. All this time, I thought my parents were alive and in Busan. Like he told me the day he took me from them. And now he’s telling me that he killed them two weeks after I left them? I was overcome by rage in seconds. I don’t know exactly how it happened, but I strode over to where he was sitting and rammed my fist into his jaw. “You treacherous snake! How could you do that to me?! After all I’ve done for you?” I went to hit him again, but he caught my wrist. He wiped the blood that was trickling from his lip and chuckled. “Technically, you hadn’t done anything for me yet.” I squirm, trying to get out of his grasp. “Nuh-uh. You need to relax. That’s all in the past now. Beside, why do you care so much? It’s not like they actually loved you.” 

 

I stop and look him straight in the eyes. “You don’t know that. My parents loved-” “If they truly did, they wouldn’t have sold you for a couple thousand bucks now would they?” “It doesn’t matter what you think. You have no right to be telling me any of this. You don’t know what it feels like to be loved.” I yanked my arm away from him. “And you never will.” I hang my bag around my shoulder and leave. 

“MeiBo, we haven’t finished our discussion.” “You can shove it up your ass for all I care.” I’m about to exit when he pulls me back, and grips both of my arms. He leaned close so that he was whispering in my ear. “I think you’re forgetting who you’re working for, sweetie.” The proximity is making me feel sick. “You will go and sit your ass down, while I tell you what you’re going to do in a few days. This information is crucial so I expect you to listen closely.” He shoves me roughly into the sofa again and he takes his previous spot opposite of me.

 

“What I want you to do, is you’re going to befriend Ni-Ah. She has no idea who you are, so it should be easy enough for you. I want you to get along with everyone in that household. According to a few of my sources, a few of her friends have been staying at her house for security purposes. I want you to live with them as well understood? Get as much information from them as you can and report back to me everyday. Once you gain their trust I want you to bring something back.” “And what would that be?” He smiles. “I believe her name is Yuna.”

~

(Yuna’s POV- 3 days later)

 

“Aria, do that one more time, and I’m going to kill you.” I say. “I’m not just gonna let you pass me like that!” “That is the second time you’ve thrown a red shell at me.” “I can’t help that you’re always directly in front of me!!” I’m about to cross the finish line, when Ravi comes up behind me and puts his hands over my eyes. “Go Aria!” “Ravi what the fuck!?” I tear his hands from my eyes, but Aria had already crossed the finish line. “WOO I WIN.” she exclaims as she highfives Ravi. “Both of you are so dead-” The doorbell rings. “I got it!” I get off the floor and open the door. 

A girl  of about twenty is standing there, crossing her arms. She’s wearing a white shirt and a black vest with some black leather jeans. Her hair is long and wavy and she was wearing light makeup. I’m not completely sure, but I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere. “Can I help you?” “Um is Ni-Ah home? A friend of hers sent me. Jiyong oppa? He said that she could help me with some things.” “Wait here.” I turn around and call out for Ni-Ah. “Noona!!! Someone’s looking for you. Said Jiyong sent her.” 

Ni-Ah walks down the stairs and towards the door. “Jiyong? He hasn’t called me at all today. Who are you?” “My name is Go Ara. I’m training to debut at YG? Jiyong oppa said that you are currently helping out two trainees as well.” Ni-Ah looks at me and I shrug. “Okay, what is it you need?” “A place to stay if that’s okay? I’ll work to pay you back if that’s the problem. I can help around the house-” “No no, that’s fine. Come in. I’ll give Jiyong a call in a few minutes. You can sit in the living room while I get things sorted.” explained Ni-Ah. “Yuna, give her a quick tour. Two of the bedrooms on the third floor are free. Let her pick one.” “Yes noona.” “I’ll be right with you.” she steps into the computer room and pulls out her phone.

 

(Ni-Ah’s POV)

 

I call Jiyong for confirmation. She didn’t look like she could cause trouble, but one can’t be too careful. “Ni-Ah? What is it?” “I have something to ask you. Did you send one of YG’s trainees over? She claims that you told her to come here for help. “Oh yeah! She seemed nice enough and I thought you could help. She’s really nice and I thought she could help out since Jisoo hasn’t been showing up.” “Oh okay. I just wanted to make sure.” I could hear more voices on the other line and some shushing as well. “Hey, look. I really have to go right now. I’m pretty busy this week, so don’t worry if I don’t manage to answer your calls okay?” “Sure thing oppa. Bye.” Well then. I guess I better start welcoming our new guest.

~

 

(Jiyong’s POV)

  
Ni-Ah hangs up the phone and I let out a deep breath. “Was that good enough for you?” I ask. “How can there be people like you? I swear if you touch one hair on her head-” “You’ll do what? Remember Jiyong, one wrong move and you’ll regret it. That’s good enough for now. You can leave. I have other things to do.” Lay stands up and inserts a small chip into my phone. “I’ll be monitoring your phone calls from now. Don’t do anything stupid alright?” He opens the door to his office and walks me out. “Stick to the plan, Jiyong. Stick to the plan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I fall more in love with Minseok in every chapter 


	14. Desire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANOTHER SMUT WARNING. Same thing applies for the last one, if you don't want to read it, skip when it gets to Ravi entering the bedroom. Otherwise, I hope I did better than last time!

(Baekhyun’s POV)

I missed a lot yesterday. I hadn’t left my room at all because of the pain in my leg. It hadn’t been a problem for a few days, but the pain had become unbearable yesterday and so I just remained in bed all day, Chanyeol coming in once in awhile to check up on me. I was tired from staying up there though. I wanted to hang out with everybody without them thinking I’d slow them down. So, I got up and made my way to the kitchen to eat breakfast with everyone. I didn’t limp that much anymore, but I was still wary not to apply a lot of pressure for the fear that the wound would open. I enter the kitchen and sit down in between Chanyeol and Minseok.

“And the family’s complete!” say Chanyeol, hugging my shoulder. Yuna, Aria, and Ni-Ah were making us a breakfast buffet. Ravi and us three were waiting; they had already set the table before I arrived. I looked behind me to see what the girls were preparing, when someone caught my eye. Her back was turned to me so I couldn’t see who she was yet. She grabbed two bowls and headed towards the table. I got a glimpse of her and it felt as if time froze. She had a round, almost child-like face, but still had a sense of maturity to her features. Her hair was down and swept to one side and her skin was fair. She set the bowls in front of me and Chanyeol, and looked at me. Her eyes seemed to widen just a little as she retreated to get the rest of our food.

“Chanyeol, who is that?” I asked. “Hmm? Oh, that’s Ara. She’s also a trainee. Jiyong sent her here yesterday. You were in your room so you weren’t introduced.” He answered, mouth already stuffed. “Why?” asks Minseok. “She’s stunning.” Minseok scoffs. “Baek, don’t get carried away. She’s fine I guess, but you literally just saw the girl.” I’m not paying attention anymore. I’m to distracted by her. The way her eyebrows furrow when she’s focused, her lip slightly pouting. “Geez Baekhyun, close your mouth. Could you make it more obvious?” asks Chanyeol. The girls come back with the rest of the plates. Ara serves everyone since she’s the youngest. She reaches over for my plate and I grab it to hand it to her. Her hand makes contact with mine, and she gives out a small yelp, dropping the plate. “Ah! I’m so sorry sir! I didn’t mean to-” “No no it’s fine. Here I’ll clean it up.” I help her clean up the mess and refill my plate. “I’m Baekhyun. You don’t have to call me sir or anything.” She nods once before heading back to the table to serve everyone else.

I go to sit back down and begin my meal. I couldn’t help but to glance up at her every few seconds. She was talking to Ni-Ah about who-knows-what. I want to get to know her. I have a feeling she’ll like me. At least I hope she does. Not for selfish purposes of course. Just to get along. Definitely. “So Ara, are you debuting solo or in a group?” asks Ravi. Ara gives him this strange look and he glances at Ni-Ah, then at me, then everyone else. “Solo. I feel like I wouldn’t work well with others.” Aria laughed. “How come? That whole lone wolf thing is pretty lame if you ask me. You get lonely eventually.” Ara turned to look at her. “I suppose so. I just don’t have good experiences with groups of people.” “Care to elaborate?” I ask. She looks up at me, but doesn’t reply. Did I say something wrong? “I just don’t work well with people. That’s it. You depend on them too much, and then they leave you. What’s the point of signing yourself up for something like that?” Everyone goes silent. “Well, that’s one possibility. But then again, you could be stuck with people like these.” I say, motioning at everybody. “Hey! What’s wrong with us?” exclaims Chanyeol. “Nothing! I said ‘then again’. You guys are great. The best people to be stuck with. So I hope you’ll give us a chance.” I can see different emotions playing across her features. I just hope that in the end she’ll warm up to us. Including me.

~

(MeiBo’s POV)

I lock myself in my room and sit on the bed. This was a lot harder than I thought. How could they be so welcoming? Fools. Wait till they see what we have stored for them. But for some reason, someone in particular caught my attention. Baekhyun. He hadn’t recognized me, but I recognized him. How couldn’t I? That Yuna girl hadn’t recognized me either. But the reason that this was already so difficult was because of him. The moment I first saw him, something had clicked. I don’t know exactly how to explain it, but something was telling me not to shoot him. So I hadn’t. I knew Lay would say something to me about it, but this feeling of urgency told me that his opinion didn’t matter at that time. That didn’t give him the excuse to act the way he did back there though. Treating me so nicely. And why? He had just met me. He didn’t even see me yesterday. I sigh and run my hands through my hair. He was really going to be the death of me.

~

(Aria’s POV- A few weeks later)

Today marks exactly two months and two weeks that Ravi and I have been dating. I had been staying at his house for the most of it. I figured that since today was kind of our anniversary, we would be doing something special. But that wasn’t the case. Spending the weekend at home was probably the last thing I wanted to do. Sighing, I plopped onto the sofa and picked at the cushions, too bored to even notice my phone vibrating on the table. Only when it rang the second time, did I push myself off with a groan and picked up the phone, pressing the speaker on, Ravi’s voice immediately greeting me. Perhaps he was bored too.

“Hey, Aria, I called to tell you that I won’t make it home for another three to four hours okay?” I sighed. “Why?” “Work.” He said. I stiffened instantly. Work was fine- but if that person was there… “With?” Ravi knew that tone too well. He was probably inwardly squirming at the possible wrath he would have to face at home. “Look, Aria. It’s just for today. You know how important this is.” He was right. I did know how important this was for him. Still that didn’t answer my question. But it didn’t have to. The tired breath that clung to his voice as he explained it as sweetly as he could, answered enough. “Is she the only person that can work with you right now?” I asked, trying to sound bored. If I was really bored, then keeping the tightness in my voice from him wouldn’t be so hard right?

Wrong.

“Yes baby. She is.” The ticking of the clock seemed to amplify as though Ravi’s life was timed- or perhaps my anger. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I tried not to yell as I let out a shaky breath. “Okay, cool. See you in the evening.” The call cut as swiftly as a knife would. My head was pounding. That girl- that “coworker”- she made me want to shatter things. I don’t know if he was just too blind, or naïve, or incredulous, or all three- but I had seen the hunger in her eyes as she watched him the last time we crossed paths. If she so much as breathed in the wrong direction-. I don’t want to finish that thought. I trusted Ravi. Enough to know that he would push her away if she got too touchy. Enough to know that he would come home and make it up to me. Yet somewhere, a tendril of guilt pulled at my heart. He was working so hard, and this was how I was paying him.

I shook my head. I had every right to be…  _ jealous _ . There, I said it. Although I didn’t want to admit it to him, he knew me too well to not see through the fake wall of my “Oh she’s so nice” attitude. Now, all I had left to do was wait for him to get home. And maybe not throw things or pull my hair out.

The hours went by like  _ years _ . Every minute I heard the rustling of leaves or the tapping of a tree branch, my head would snap to the door. Three to four hours. That’s what he’d said. And only two had passed. My hand itched to type- to let him know I was really missing him. It was genuine though. I had that much courtesy. A weekend with hours to spend. Why spend it alone when I had a boyfriend to spend it with? Except he was not at home. Or with me. I sprawled on the sofa, and like that, another hour passed. With every other half-hour, my position on the couch shifted. My legs on the arms of the couch, hanging by its side, or my head would be dipped by the front.

Then I heard the fumbling of keys and the turning of the lock. By then, I had straightened up, and left the furniture. “I’m home- Aria?” He sounded surprised as I rushed past him, feet thundering on the floor as I made my way to our shared room. Perhaps he could sleep on the sofa tonight. Served him right for coming home an hour late. “Aria,” I heard him before he made his way into the room, back facing him as I stood in front of the window. Again, the same exhausted voice repeated my name, but this time in close proximity. He was tired. I knew that. But I just couldn’t stand it. His hands came to rest on my shoulders, fingers pressing around them. They were small enough to disappear into his large hands. I liked that.

He turned me around slowly, and I braced myself as I heard a gasp leave his lips, before he whispered, “Baby… “ My glistened eyes watched his exposed chest, the first two buttons kept unbuttoned as he had rushed today morning. “Why are you crying?” His soft, baritone voice rang in my ears and I couldn’t look up at him. This was stupid. I couldn’t believe I was crying over this. “I can’t take it, Ravi.” I confessed. And I didn’t have to explain what I was talking about. He knew exactly just  _ who  _ I was referring to. “We’ve talked about this, Aria.” His voice was laced with disappointment. And the edge of his temper. I was really yanking at it. Even with that tone, I didn’t stop. And I just wanted to slap myself for it. I wouldn’t be surprised if he did it before me. “I don’t care. It just really,  _ really _ bothers me how you don’t notice how she looks at you.” Even my temper was tipping off the edge.

He let my shoulders go, and he placed his hands deep into his pockets, fixating his eyes on me. I knew where this was going. The gesture itself screamed,  _ run _ . “And why should I? I have my girlfriend in front of me to know I have nobody else to look at. To  _ need  _ to look at.” He countered, and I would’ve swooned if it weren’t for that little spark of jealousy dancing inside me. “So even if she made a move on you, you’d just brush it off saying that I’m your girlfriend and have nobody else to touch-” “Aria!” I flinched as he raised his voice. “That’s enough! I’ve had enough of your shit about that girl. She’s just as harmless as you are. And if you could maybe look beyond that jealousy, you’d see it.” His voice lowered considerably. I held his stare, and I noticed his eyes. His pupils had dilated a great deal. I opened my mouth, ready to verbally slap him to point out that I wasn’t as jealous as he claimed me to be, when the ghost of a touch lingered on my jaw, before he surely grabbed it, his thumb grazing over the border of my mouth before it moved to caress my cheek.

My heart thundered in my chest. “So it’s alright for you to be an over-protective bastard when I simply smile at a guy, while I can’t even breath wrong towards a girl who’s probably touched you?” A faint flash of amusement flickered across his eyes as I spoke. I hadn’t noticed he’d been nudging me towards the wall until my back was surely pressed against it. He ran his tongue over his lips as he watched my own. “Yes, princess. That’s correct, but don’t worry. She was nowhere near me.” He breathed, his hands now falling down my sides slowly as he dragged his fingers delicately along the length of my arms before gripping my wrists roughly enough to contrast with the way he spoke, pinning them smack above me against the cold wall. He pressed his body against mine. As he pressed further, I felt the undeniably large evidence of his arousal against my core, letting me lose a whimper at the attention.

“Because,” he continued, “Only I get to touch you like this,” his hand dipped down my arms that were held by his other, and fell against my breasts, his fingers kneading me through the material of my tank top. He smirked- not wearing a bra was definitely a wise decision. “Only I get to feel you like this,” he pressed his groin against mine in emphasis, and moved so subtly I had to close my eyes to feel it. “And only I get to kiss you like this,” he finally added, before pressing his mouth against mine, and began kissing me so feverishly, it was like he was more than ready to devour me whole- and God be damned, did I like that idea. He pulled away, and I almost whimpered at the sudden loss of warmth, my hands falling by my sides again. His eyes gleamed in the light, and the lust I saw there- coated with dominance and passion- drove me crazy. Let the worker be damned. “I wonder what that mouth can do, other than whine about me wanting to work, hmm?” He drawled. “Come here,” he demanded. I walked over to him, his eyes dragging over my body like a scanner. Once I was at arm's length, his arms wrapped around my waist, gathering me in his arms before he claimed my mouth once more. My own arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him in. His tongue brushed over my lip and I was more than ecstatic to let him in, letting him dominate over me as much as he wanted to.

And then his arousal poked my thigh. I ran a palm down his torso and his stomach before rubbing him through his pants, a growl erupting from him. I pulled away before he could say anything and pushed him hard enough to make the back of his knees collide against the bed and let him fall on the mattress. I walked closer to him, getting down on my knees before zipping down and unbuckling his pants, pulling them down along with his boxers. It was more than just a sight to behold. A moan escaped my lips. “Show Daddy how that lovely mouth works wonders, kitten.” I grabbed him eagerly, giving him a few teasing pumps, before I leaned in and licked from the base and along the shaft up until his tip. The groan that left his mouth was so deep I felt I’d become undone right there. I wrapped my lips tight around his shaft, taking him in enough to reach the back of my tongue, but not deep enough for his tip to collide with the back of my throat.

I was teasing him subtly, but he knew me too well, enjoyed it too well, to refrain himself from thrusting into my mouth. And when I bobbed my head faster, taking him deeper every time, his hands weaved into my hair and clutched tighter, his hips momentarily bucking into my mouth. “That’s it baby, take all of Daddy.” He moaned deeply, and I obeyed. Boy was I God gifted to not have a gag reflex. Because his next thrust went in so deep, that when it touched the back of my throat, I’d felt him twitch, as though ready to cum, but he growled loudly and pulled out of my mouth. “Get on me, baby girl.”

I instantly got onto my feet, and almost hissed as the burning on my knees finally registered- carpet burns. The angry red on my knees were enough for him to see before he looked up at me, and stood up. “You know what? I have a much better idea.” He dipped his head into the crook of my neck, his teeth grazing over the sensitive spot beneath my ear, his arms wrapping around me and pulling me closer to him. My hands worked on the buttons to his shirt but he simply pushed them away. I gasped as he wrapped his tie around my wrists. Picking me up, he placed me on the dresser, my tied hands went over his head, resting on his shoulder blades before he pulled me closer to him, my clothed core meeting his bare shaft. By instinct, my head dipped backwards, and I felt his lips latch onto the skin of my neck, where he began sucking and kissing, nipping at certain parts where he knew I was the most pleasurable. I let out a breathy moan as I felt him nearing my breasts.

“Do I make you feel good, Aria?” He raised his head, and I faced him, my half-lidded eyes meeting his lust-filled ones, his hands already kneading the skin under my top. “Hmm?” I hummed, as I felt one of his hands make his way towards my throbbing heat, anticipating the much needed attention. As I waited with closed eyes, his hand moved closer, his fingers expertly maneuvering around my inner thighs before settling flat over my heat. “Must I repeat my question, love?” He whispered, his mouth so close to my ear, his breath tickled my earlobe. Goosebumps rose on the surface of my skin and I looked at him. “You make me feel more than just good, Daddy.” I breathed.

His eyes crinkled ever so slightly as his lips twitched. “Good girl, kitten.” He began moving his fingers roughly against my clothed heat, it already being wet from all the sexual tension that had been hanging since the moment he pinned me to the wall. And now I watched him, his eyes trained on my parted lips, I noticed the glimmering chain he always wore. 

Right then I moaned, “I need you, Ravi.” I dared use his name, but rather than him stopping, I only heard him groan. “Fuck this shit. Come here, Aria.” And what happened next was simply a blur of moans, kisses, and a whole lot of fucking. I felt his fingers tear away the shorts from my hips, dragging my underwear along with it, the tip of his member rubbing against me almost instantly. My hands remained behind his head, tied and bounded while he held me with his other. As his shirt came free, his hands pulled me closer to him as possible, and with that one pull, he had me filled. Filled to the brim. I let out a yelp as I felt him stretch me out massively, his member getting harder inside me as I bucked my hips against his. After that, it was as though he had completely forgotten what mercy was.

He thrusted, hard and deep into me, my breasts bouncing behind my tank top that he was (in the heat of the moment) too annoyed to bear - leading to his hand grabbing the front of my top and rip it, falling apart in two pieces. But I was too into the moment to even care - or hear the material ripping.

He moved faster, his hands working wonders on my hardened nipples while I grabbed what I could of his hair, his lips latching onto my lips in a hungry, heated kiss.

“I believe this is more than just enough to let you know that  _ you belong  _ to  _ me _ , no, kitten?” He growled into my lips, my eyes struggling to stay open as I felt my release fast-approaching,  “And you, to me, Daddy.” I breathed in broken whispers, my walls tightening around him, the dresser under me banging against the wall as he pushed harder into me.

He groaned, in what I thought was his response as his thrusts began slacking, his eyes shutting tight as he led the two of you to euphoria. My legs wrapped tighter around his waist as I bucked my hips, feeling his release spill inside me whilst I released around him, my moans chorused as you dipped your head onto his shoulder.

My legs unwrapped in fatigue, my hands doing the same, as I breathed heavily onto his sweaty skin. I felt him pull out of me, his chuckle reverberating inside me as he whispered, “Always, Aria.” And it took me a second before I recognized that as his response to my claim.

I brought my head back up, anything but exhaustion in his eyes seen as he smugly said, “Up for round two, kitten? Or do you have more to whine about?”,

And I certainly did whine the next morning as I got up to walk.


	15. Excuses

(MeiBo’s POV)

He won’t leave me alone. No matter where I am or what I’m doing, Baekhyun keeps on pestering me. If he’s not subtly helping me with chores, then he’s straight out asking me to either go watch a movie with him, or get something to it. Of course, I kept telling him no. That I had other things to do. But I’m quickly running out of excuses. He’s driving me insane. I don’t mean it to be rude. It’s not his fault, but then it is. Everything about him is perfect. His smile, his personality, and especially those hips of his. If I were to hold in any more of this pressure I’d probably end myself right now. Thankfully, I’ve grown awful close to Aria. It was surprising at first, but after a little while I found out that she’s the perfect listener. She helps out and answers my questions, and if she doesn’t know how to answer a certain one, she makes it her mission to help me in any other way. She’s a blessing really.

“Do you have a specific reason why you don’t accept his offers?” she asks. “I don’t know. I just… I’m just not experienced in these types of things.” “He’s just taking you out for coffee. You don’t have to do anything except drink your coffee. And maybe some small talk.” I sigh. “It’s not as easy as you make it sound.” She checks her reflection in the mirror before coming to sit next to me on the bed. “Look, he has a thing for you. The least you could do is lay him off easy so he’ll stop bothering you.” “It’s not that I don’t like him. I’m just awkward. I feel like I’ll make him uncomfortable.” “Look, if that happens he’ll probably improvise. Just go with his flow and everything will be fine.” I collapse on the bed. “Can you think of any good excuses right now?” She drags me back up. “You don’t need one. You’re going whether you like it or not. I already told him you would.” I turn to her. “You did what?!” She gets off the bed and runs out of the room. “You better choose something cute to wear!” She yells before disappearing down the stairs.

~

(Baekhyun’s POV)

I’m packing a few things into a large straw bag. I pull on a white long sleeve and walk out the door. I place the bag in the car and head back inside to see if Ara is ready. Aria had told me that she had convinced her to finally go somewhere with me. I feel like this can be a good bonding activity. If everything goes as planned. I enter the living room and she’s already sitting on one of the sofa’s arms. She was wearing a blue button up shirt tucked into a short floral skirt. She had a white cardigan and tights under the skirt. She topped it all off with a beige beanie. Close your mouth Baekhyun. I cleared my throat. “Uhh are you ready to go?” She turns around. “I am.” “Do you maybe want to bring another set of clothes or-” Her eyes narrowed. “Why would I need another pair of clothes. Are you implying-” This was already not going according to plan. “No I mean you might need new clothes because of where we’re going-”

Aria came sprinting down the stairs. “Ara wait! I almost forgot. Here.” she handed her a small pink bag. “You’re gonna need it later.” She looked at me and gave a quick wink. “Have fun!” She then rushed back upstairs. She looks into the bag and pulls out the tissue paper. She grab something that has a soft and silky texture, and pull it out for both of us to see. Inside, was a two piece blue ruffle bikini. She just kind of stares at it, unsure what to do. “Where exactly are we going?” she asks. “Come on. I have a good feeling about this.” I walk to my car and get in. Ara sits next to me, not saying a word. “You’re not making me wear that. Just telling you now.” I shrug. “I wasn’t planning on it.”

The pool had been reserved by Aria under Ni-Ah’s name. Only about three other people were there, but those were the people in charge of the bar. I bring the bag with me and lock the car. Ara hadn’t brought anything except the little bag, but she left it in the car. I put it in my bag just in case she changed her mind. We walked on the edge and sat down on the chairs closest to the shade. It wasn’t too hot, but I didn’t want to get sunburned. Ara plopped herself down and put on her sunglasses, ordering herself a Mermaid Water. I set my things next to her and begun to apply sunscreen. Part of being an idol is that you have to keep your skin in the best condition possible. I pulled out my swim shorts from my bag and changed into them, making sure Ara wasn’t looking this way. “Are you getting in the water?” I ask. “I don’t want to get my clothes wet.” I frown. “But Aria got you a bikini.” “So?” I was more than disappointed. I thought she would at least try to have fun. I guess she just doesn’t like me. I wasn’t going to let this go to waste though, so I dived into the pool and swam to the other edge.

(MeiBo’s POV)

I hate myself. I saw the look in his eyes when I refused to join him. It had sent a jolt of pain in my chest. He looked hurt. And I had been the cause of that. I didn’t mean to. I just don’t have the faintest idea of what to fucking do right now. The bikini that Aria had chosen was wonderful. I was just shy to put in on. I don’t really reveal my body to anyone. But I had agreed to go, more forced than willing, but that doesn’t matter now. I wasn’t going to ruin this for him.

I get up and search through his bag. I saw him put it in there, I just didn’t say anything. I locate it and take it with me to the changing rooms. I take off my clothes and fold them neatly into a pile and slip on the top and then the bottom. I inspect myself in the mirror. I actually looked cute. I guess I can trust Aria when it comes to clothing now. I step out of the changing room and walk onto the pool edge. Baekhyun was swimming laps so I decided that I’d stay on this end of the pool.

I walk down the small steps and test the water. Thankfully, it wasn’t too cold. I slip in all the way and the water rises up to my chest. I submerge myself all the way to get my hair wet. It was a wise decision not to wear makeup today. I wade back in forth, getting accustomed to the temperature, when to hands find their way to my shoulders. “I thought you weren’t getting in?” I let out a yelp at Baekhyun’s proximity. “Jesus! Do you want me to have a heart attack?!” He laughs. “Why are you so jumpy? You knew I was in here.” Exactly. He could just be sitting there and I’d get heart palpitations.

“That doesn’t mean sneak up to me you idiot.” He splashes water on me. “Yah! I’m not an idiot. At least I brought you here.” “I didn’t ask you to did I?” He continues to splash water at my face, so I push him under. “Stop it you punk!” He grabs my legs from under me and picks me up, placing me on top of his shoulders. “If you drop me you are so dead.” He doesn’t just drop me, he throws himself forward, causing both of us to go under. He resurfaces and spits out the water that got into his mouth. “Am I dead now?” He asks, chuckling. “Most definitely.” I say, laughing with him. “So you can laugh!” he asks, surprised. “I’m human too you know.” “Really? I didn’t notice.”

 He grins, as I smack him behind the head. “You really are something else, aren’t you?” I look fondly at him. He shrugs. “Yeah, I guess I am.” We look at each other for what seems like an eternity. Eventually, I excuse myself and walk back to the steps. “I’ll get our stuff ready.” He calls out as I walk back into the changing room. I sit down and lean my back against the wall. There’s no going back now. I’ve fallen for Byun Baekhyun.

~

The minute we get home Aria drags me into my room and shuts the door. “Details. Now.” I proceed to tell her most of what happened. I kept it short and simple but that didn’t seem to stop her overwhelming excitement. “The ship has sailed! You guys would be the cutest couple I swear! It needs to happen.” she squeals. I roll my eyes at her. “This is our first date. Don’t go overboard.”

I widen my eyes at what just came out of my mouth. Aria catched it too, and went into another fit of squeals. “YOU SAID A DATE. It’s basically official now oh my God.” I place my hand over her mouth. “Shut up! No it’s not. I didn’t mean anything by it-” “The hell you didn’t! You probably want this as much as I do.” “Okay whatever. Now get out. I have to take a shower.” She gives me a hug and bursts out the door. “You better not say anything to him Aria!!” I yell after her. “No promises!!” Her voice fades out as she goes downstairs.

I shut the door and lock it. I go to the bedside table and pick up my phone. He’ll be expecting a phone call. Just like everyday since I got here. But for some reason I didn’t want to. He’d get suspicious if I don’t though. I sigh and dial the number. He picks up instantly. “So what did you find out today?” I hesitate. “Nothing. They did nothing out of the ordinary.” “You know that answer isn’t good enough. If they aren’t doing anything then that’s your cue to force it out of them somehow. We went through this, MeiBo. Don’t disappoint me.” “Yes sir.” “I expect some valuable information in no more than fifteen minutes or we’re going to have a problem.” “I understand sir.” “Good. Remember. Fifteen minutes.” He hangs up.

I came here knowing what I’m supposed to do and what is going to happen. But I think it’s time to change that now. I’ve gotten close to these people. They make me feel wanted. Loved. And the feeling is mutual. I pick up my phone again and dial another number this time. It’s about time I start to follow my own rules.

~

(Lay’s POV)

She didn’t call me back. In fact, when I dialed her number it sent me straight to her voicemail. What the hell does she think she’s doing? I dial Jiyong to see if he might know what’s going on. I notice, that the tracking chip on his phone is switched off. How did he- A thought passes my mind. She’s rebelling against me isn’t she. Turning off her phone. Shutting down Jiyong’s tracking device. But why?

“Hello?” Jiyong picks up the phone. “I need to ask you a few questions, Jiyong.” He takes a few seconds to reply. “What is it?” “Did MeiBo shut off your tracking device?” “No.” “So did you turn off yourself?” “Yes.” I chuckle. “Jiyong, trying to protect her won’t do both of you any good.” “I’m telling you she had nothing to do with this.” “It’s too late now. You fucked up, Jiyong and people will suffer because of you.”

I ended the call. I’ve been trying to keep my temper in check but this was the last straw. I swipe my arm across my desk, sending everything on it spewing about. I pinch the bridge of my nose and take a deep breath. I had not been expecting any of this to happen. That’s what I get for playing around. It’s game over now. I dial a number I thought I’d never have to use again. “Yes, it’s me. I need you to do something. Don’t worry. I won’t delay anything anymore. I’ve given them all the time they need.”

~

(Yuna’s POV)

It was fairly cloudy today and the smell of rain was in the air. I forgot to bring my umbrella, but my jacket will have to do for now. I was out shopping with one of my closest friends, Hani. I had met her at one of her rehearsals with the rest of her members. She was helping me with my debut as well. With a more legal approach. We had gotten along well and started hanging out, going to each other’s rehearsals and whatnot. I told Ni-Ah that I’d be home at around seven, after having watched a movie and gone to the mall with Hani.

I observed her outfit. “Hani, it’s supposed to rain today. What on earth are you wearing?” She looked down at her clothes. “The weather is no obstacle when I look this cute.” “Hani, no. You’re going to get sick.” “Gives me an excuse to spend more time with you. And you get to take care of me.” she smiles. God she’s adorable. We sit at one of the tables outside a coffee shop.

“So how is Ni-Ah unnie doing these days?” “She was going through some tough times, but she’s doing a lot better recently.” We continued talking as a girl (I believe it’s a girl) with various tattoos sits at the table next to us. She has short black hair and is wearing a white muscle top with black skinny jeans. She orders nothing; just sits there on her phone. “Oh my god!” exclaims Hani, startling me. “I forgot I was supposed to be picking Junghwa up from the salon!” she starts grabbing her bags. “Will you be okay on your own, Yuna?” “Yes, go on.” I say, waving her away. She gives me a sorry look before hailing a taxi over.

I start to gather my things as well, when the girl that sat at the table next to me walks over. “Excuse me, but do you know where the Gyeongbokgung Palace is? I’m not from here you see so I’m not familiar.” Her Korean has a bit of accent to it so she must be a foreigner. “Yeah sure. I’ll show you.” I grab my things and lead her away from the town’s center. We pass a solitary alley and cross the street. Just as I was about to turn towards the bus stop, I’m dragged back into the alley. I try to struggle out of her grasp, but I’m nowhere near as strong as she is. She covers my face with a rag and I try to break free one last time before my vision fades to black.

~

When I wake up, I notice that I can’t move my arms or legs. Next I notice that my arms are tied to a bedpost and my legs are bound together. The bedroom is large and decorated in mahogany and gold. “And she awakens!” I didn’t need to turn around to know who that was. “You again?!” I struggle against the ropes. “What do you want from me? Let me go!” The ropes are digging into my wrists and ankles and it’s starting to hurt.

“Not making that mistake again, princess. You’re going to stay here until I get what I want.” “You know she isn’t going to give it up no matter what you do. I made her promise.” He smiles. “Well then, I guess that’s going to give us plenty of time to get to know each other don’t you think?” He walks over to me and brushes his thumb on my bottom lip. He stays like that for a bit, before clearing his throat and walking out the door. One of his maids walks over to me. “Mr. Zhang would like us to treat you as we would treat him. His home is yours now so after a few days, you will be allowed to exit your room. Can I get you anything ma’am?” “You can get me out of here.” She looks at me sympathetically. “I’ll get you a glass of water ma’am. I’ll be right back.” She exits the door and locks it. I let out a deep sigh. There is no way I’m staying with that bastard. I needed to get out of here, and fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep trying Baekhyun!! You'll win her over eventually honey!! But are you guys liking it so far? It's getting a few hits but idk if it's good or not. Please comment any ideas or suggestions you might have!


	16. Control

(Lay’s POV)

She won’t eat. Every time I go in to check on her, the platter is still full. She occasionally nibbles on a few items if she gets really hungry, but she never finishes anything. I change it up all the time, giving her different dishes of the highest quality. She pushes them all away. I’m starting to get a bit worried. God knows why, but these past few weeks have been nothing but tormenting for me. I’ve been growing a bit fond of her. I won’t admit it to anyone of course, but ever since I gave her permission to wander about, it’s given me a chance to observe her. Figure out how she works. We have the occasional conversation, nothing much really, just the typical ‘good morning/night, are you hungry, how are you doing’ and such. She hasn’t changed much of her attitude towards me, but it’s getting better. If she only knew why I had to do all this. The whole idea of this was basically more blackmail, but if I’m being honest with myself, I don’t think I would’ve harmed her in any way. She has this effect on me and I can’t put my finger on it. I keep telling myself to not get too close. I don’t want to get attached to her. But at the same time, I really do,

I knock on the door to her bedroom and receive a muffled, “Come in.” I open the door and I see that she actually finished all of her meal. She was now laying on her stomach, drawing something on some parchment. “You finally ate. What changed?” She doesn’t look up. “I was losing muscle. I don’t want that to be a problem for when I have to kick your ass.” I can see a small smirk playing at her lips. I scoff. “And what makes you think you’d need to do that?” She’s smiling now and it makes chills run down my spine. It looks good on her.

“Next time you annoy me. You have a knack for bullshit to leave your mouth every few seconds. It’s really starting to stink up the house you know.” I roll my eyes. “Fucking hilarious. What are you doing?” “Are you blind? Or just stupid?” I walk over and snatch the parchment from her hands. “Why do you have to be so damn rude all the time?” I ask, inspecting her sketch. It was of a guy. She was a very talented artist, but who exactly was this? “Who is this?” I ask. She reaches to snatch it back, but I hold it over my head. “That’s none of your business. Give it back.” 

She kneels on the bed to try to grab it but I switch it to my other hand. “Just tell me. I’m not giving it back until you do.” She jumps off the bed and shoves me. “I said it’s none of your business! Why are you so damn nosey-” “Because I fucking can be so just tell me-” “NO.” She yanks the paper from my hands, but part of it tears off. She gasps and picks up the other piece. “Oh, God I’m sorry-” “Get out.” “What?” She looks up at me with a cold expression. “I said get out. I don’t want to see you right now.” “I don’t have to-” “I SAID LEAVE.” I stand there for a few more seconds before turning around and leaving the room. I shut the door behind me and head to the living room. I pour myself a glass of whiskey and sit in my recliner. What the hell was her problem? It was just a fucking drawing Why’d he get so upset about it?

I’m flipping through the pages of a book when I hear footsteps approaching. I turn and see Yuna heading to the sofa next to me. I was about to give her a snarky comment when she spoke first. “I’m sorry that I snapped at you like that earlier. Even after you apologized. I probably shouldn’t take that for granted.” She gave a light chuckle. She pulled out the drawing and handed it to me. She had taped back the piece that had ripped off.

“It’s my brother. If you still want to know.” I look at her confused. “I didn’t know you had a brother. What did you draw him for?” I hand her back the parchment. “I haven’t seen him in seven years. I draw a picture of him every month to make sure I don’t forget what he looks like. I don’t have any pictures of him so I just try to remember what he looked like the last time I saw him.” I think about her response for a minute. “Is there a reason you haven’t seen him in so long?” I ask. “He moved to America once I turned nineteen. I haven’t seen him since.” I can’t help but feel bad for her. I haven’t seen my family in years, nor do I want to. But that was her last family member. I have the decency to understand that she’s going through a rough time.

“Can’t you just go and visit him?” She shakes her head. “ I don’t have time. I have to train almost everyday with Aria for our debut. We’re going to be a hip-hop duo. I’m the rapper and she’s the vocalist. Besides, he didn’t exactly leave me his address or even phone number. I just know that he’s somewhere in Los Angeles.” I’ll probably never know why I offered to do this, but like I said, something about her makes my mind all cloudy. “I could take you to find him if you want.” She looks up at me. “You wouldn’t do that.” “I’m telling you right now that I could.” “You have no reason to. So why would you?” I set my book down. “Because I want to.” Silence befalls us. “Thank you.” she finally murmurs.

It’s amazing how those two words could thaw my long-frozen heart. It sent a warm feeling throughout my entire being and for once, I felt genuinely happy. All because she had thanked me for such a simple request. She got off the sofa and headed back upstairs. “Goodnight, Yixing.” I froze. She had used my actual name. It may not seem like a big deal, but to me it is. She acknowledges me as a person. Not just as a stage name; an identity. “Goodnight Yuna.” She gives a small smile before speaking. “My name’s HwaYoung.” She climbs the steps before I can reply. HwaYoung. A rare name for such a rare beauty.

~

(Ni-Ah’s POV)

“What do you mean nothing?! She’s been missing for five weeks! She never called back, she just vanished. How can there be absolutely no trace of her anywhere? Hani was with her! Did she not notice something strange?” I’m practically hysterical right now. “I already asked Hani. She said there was nothing out of the normal. That Yuna was sitting outside the coffee shop they always go to before she had to leave.” said Aria. “If she was leaving, then why the hell did she not offer her a ride?!”

I had sent Ravi out to try to ask people for help. Every time I call him, he gives me the same reply. Nobody ever saw Yuna at the café. But how? She had been there with Hani. The odds are at least  **one** person should’ve seen her, but nobody ever recalled even noticing her or Hani. “Noona, I’m sure she’s fine. She managed herself fine last time. Yuna is strong headed, she’ll figure something out.” I sigh and sit on the sofa. “That’s exactly what I’m worried about. That attitude of hers will be her downfall.”

~

(MeiBo’s POV)

I’m trying to shove as many belongings into my suitcase as I possibly can. Ravi and I both clearly know who took Yuna. The reason? Now that’s not so clear. Lay keeps to his orders, but he never does anything ‘inhumane’ if he’s not being forced to. It’s that damn company he works for. So why did he take Yuna?

I zip my suitcase shut and exit through the backdoor. I can’t put these people in danger. Especially after what I’m about to do. I make sure both of my revolvers are tucked neatly under my coat and get into my car. I pull out my phone and dial Jiyong. “Is everything ready?” he asks. “Yes. Ravi is still delaying Ni-Ah and the others. He’s been telling people to deny ever seeing Yuna or Hani. If Ni-Ah so much as finds a single clue, our plan is ruined. We have to exclude them as much as we can.” “As long as Ni-Ah is safe, I’m on board.” I start the engine and drive off. It’s time to show them who’s really in control.

~

(Jiyong’s POV)

I was incredibly nervous. Anything could go wrong. And if it did, it could have deadly consequences. But I’m willing to risk everything for Ni-Ah to be safe. She meant the world to me. She was my little sister and I was her older brother. The relationship we have is inseparable and me being the closest thing she’s had to a family, I’m sure she feels the same.

I hear the doorbell ring and look through the peephole. I open the door and rush MeiBo inside. “Did anyone see you?” I ask. “No, my headlights were off as well so I don’t think anyone saw me driving here either.” We both sit down on the couch and give the rundown of the plan. “According the data I found, Lay booked a flight to LA and he’ll be leaving at exactly 4am. We have exactly six hours to get everything in order. He’ll most likely be taking his private jet so we have to watch out since he might be armed.” “So how exactly are we supposed to take Yuna?” “He only has two guards right now so we just take those out while I distract him. You take Yuna and leave immediately.” 

I shake my head. “I can’t do that. Your safety is more important than mine-” “You are more important to Ni-Ah. You will do as I say and that’s final. It doesn’t matter what happens to me. You take her home and don’t look back. Understood?” “Okay. So what do we do now?” I ask. She leans back and crosses her legs. “We wait, Jiyong. We wait.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAH will Yuna be able to change Lay's heart? Will Ni-Ah be able to get her back? What exactly is MeiBo planning? Find out in the next chapter!! (I sound like the guy from Total Drama Island XD)


	17. Agony

(Yuna’s POV)

I struggle to put my clothes on in a hurry. When Yixing agreed to take me to see my brother, I hadn’t expected him to jump on board so quickly. Apparently, our flight left exactly at four so we only had thirty minutes to get to the airport. Or ‘his’ airport. He had barged in and turned on all the lights and pulled off the covers, exclaiming that if I didn’t get up this instant, that I’d be swimming to America. I pull on my shoes and rush downstairs. “Are you ready to go?” he asks. “Yeah,” I say, panting. “Let’s go.”

~

(Ni-Ah’s POV)

I can’t sleep. How could I? Ravi couldn’t find a single person who could give us a single clue as to where Yuna could be. Ara hasn’t left her room all day, but she’s the least of my concerns right now. But… Maybe she could be of use to us. I reach over to my bedside table and grab my phone. I don’t feel like walking upstairs so I figured I’d just call her.

The phone rings a few times, but it takes me to voicemail. It then beeps a few times and opens the map. I had installed a tracking device on Ara’s phone when she first arrived, but I never got the chance to give Yuna’s hers. Look where that got me. I check the map and notice that it says she’s at an airport. What the hell is she doing at an airport at 3:30am? I try to call her again, but she won’t answer. I kick off the covers and get off the bed. I change quickly and quietly climb downstairs. I make sure to bring my handgun and my phone. I put on my jacket and slip through the door.

~

(MeiBo’s POV)

I’m driving at around 90mph on the freeway. We had gone over the plan numerous times. Every detail was crucial. Nothing could go wrong. We arrive at the airport just in time to see Lay and Yuna exit their car along with two bodyguards. I parked my car on the opposite side and got out, closing the door quietly. We double checked that our guns were loaded before sneaking behind the corner of the building. I peeked around and noticed Lay was talking to someone else. Who were they? I snuck a little closer to get a better look. My breath hitches as I get a clear view of their face. Was that-

“Amber I told you plenty of times that nobody else knows we’re here.” says Lay. “Are you sure? Don’t blame me if something goes wrong. You have a knack for fucking up and blaming it on others all the time. Why’d you think I left those snakes? The minute they do something wrong the blame us and make us look bad in the public eye. You’re lucky I’m even helping you since you still work for them.” she looks disgusted. I’m not surprised. Lay’s company isn’t necessarily the best. 

“I can’t just leave the guys behind. As much as I hate this extra work, I enjoy performing with them.” She rolls her eyes. “Whatever. The jet’s that way. Come on.” They continue walking so we trail behind, taking cover behind the walls. I signal to Jiyong to sneak to the other side, when I can hear another car pull up. Both me and Jiyong turn around to see Ni-Ah exit her car. Oh no. How did she even find us?

Lay and the others turn around just as Amber pulls out her gun. Lay stands between them as Ni-Ah pulls hers out as well. Yuna makes eye contact with Ni-Ah and freezes. “Yuna! Oh my God are you okay? What are you doing?” “Noona… I’m fine. I’m-”

“Drop the gun.” Amber steps aside and aims her gun at Ni-Ah again. “Ni-Ah, put the gun down please. I can explain-” Ni-Ah points her gun at Lay. “I want you to keep your fucking mouth shut and give Yuna to me right now, you sick fuck.” Yuna comes up from behind Lay and walks over to Ni-Ah. “Noona please, I’m fine. Yixing was just-”

Ni-Ah’s stare falters as she looks at Yuna. “Yixing? So you’re on first name basis now?” She looks at Lay. “Are you calling her HwaYoung now too?” She lets out a hysterical laugh. “Have you two gotten close now? Bonded over these five weeks, is that it?” Jiyong is close enough that he could pull Yuna over to him and make a run for it. “How did you find us?” Lay asks. “A friend of mine is here as well. Do you have her too? Or where the hell is she?” Yuna looks back at Lay, but he shakes his head.

“Nobody else is here, Ni-Ah.” “Bullshit! She’s here. I have a tracker on her phone so don’t pull that fuckery with me!” I must’ve been leaning too far because Amber and I made eye contact and she fires into the edge of the wall. I duck, as pieces of the wall go flying in different directions. I’m now being dragged by my hair, and she takes both my guns from under my coat.

“MeiBo? What are you doing here?” asks Lay. “MeiBo? I thought her name was Ara?” asks Yuna. “What? No. She was my secretary before-” “Your secretary?! She was spying on us?!” exclaims Ni-Ah. She looks at me, betrayal obvious on her features. 

“I’m sorry Ni-Ah. I had to, I didn’t have a choice. But I realized that I’d rather risk everything to actually have something close to a family than live with someone like him for the rest of my life.” I pleaded. “I trusted you, and this is what you do? I don’t want to see you in my house, or near my friends ever again.” “Ni-Ah please I’m trying to help you-” “Well, I think you’ve done enough.” she turns to look at Lay again. “I’m going to ask you for the last time. Hand Yuna over. Now.”

I can hear the click of a bullet and turn to look at Amber. She has her gun aimed right at Ni-Ah’s head.

“And I’m going to ask you one last time to drop your damn gun before things get messy.” Lay continues to ask her to stand down but she won’t listen. I can see Jiyong inching closer to Yuna, just in case things call for a quick escape. “He told you to stand down.” Yuna says to Amber. Amber glares at her. 

“Does it look like I fucking care what he says to me? I don’t take orders from him, you imbecile.” Yuna clenches her fists and turns around. “Do you want to fucking square up with me? I’ll beat your ass into next week you fucking whor-” “Yuna! Calm down. Now.” Lay holds onto Yuna’s shoulders. Ni-Ah’s jaw visibly tenses and takes the distraction to her advantage. She fires a quick shot to Lay’s leg and Jiyong rushes to pull Yuna away. 

I jump up and try to get him to leave, when he turns around. “Ni-Ah! Look out!” He pushes her as a gunshot resonates around the building.

Both Yuna and I turn around to see Lay wrestling the gun out of Amber’s hand. “Amber! Stop it!” he yanks the gun from her and she whips around and leaves. Just like that. Yuna rushes to tend to Lay’s leg.

About twenty seconds pass before a deafening scream is heard. I turn around to see Ni-Ah, kneeled over Jiyong. Everything seems to blur in that moment. Me walking over to her, pushing her aside, and seeing Jiyong sprawled on the floor, blood soaking through his shirt.

“Jiyong… Jiyong, please look at me. Say something. Please.” Ni-Ah keeps shaking him, in the hopes that he’ll at least sit up, tell her that he’s okay. But that’s not how things work in real life. She’s full on sobbing now, unable to speak coherent sentences. She drapes her body over his, and buries her face in the crook of his neck. Yuna helps Lay over and tries to pull her away. 

“No! Leave me alone! Leave me with him! He wouldn’t want me to leave him like this.” She looks up at Lay, all the fight had left her. “Are you happy now? Is this what you wanted? Did you really want that stupid casino that much that you would cause me this much grief and agony?” He didn’t reply. I don’t think there’s much that he can say anyway. 

I place my hand on her back but she flinches away. “Don’t touch me! This is as much your fault as it is his. This would have never happened if I hadn’t met you.” I shouldn’t cry. I don’t have the right to really. But I can’t help the tears that start to roll down my cheeks.

“Go away!” she screams. So I do. I pick myself up, get into my car and leave. I never really understood when people tell me that after they cry they feel better. It’s obviously a lie. I know that now. Because as soon as I got home I cried, and cried, and then cried some more. And when I was finished, I still felt that horrible anguish of killing someone that was only trying to help the person they loved.

~

(Ni-Ah’s POV)

I don’t know how long I stayed there, draped over Jiyong, until the authorities arrived. By then, Aria, Minseok, and Chanyeol had arrived as well and they shared my sorrow. Of course the authorities demanded to know what happened so I had to make up a whole story to avoid any of us getting arrested.

As soon as I got home, I let Jiyong’s family know about the bad news and we planned the funeral. After I had hung up, I just sat in the living room sofa. I had cried my eyes dry, and my chest hurt from heaving shuddering breaths. I still can’t process the fact that he’s gone. It all happened so fast and I just can’t grasp it. There would be no more ‘family reunions’ with his parents and sister, no more variety shows or concerts together, no more goofing around, no traveling. There would be no more of my Jiyong. And it was all my fault.

I didn’t talk to anyone. It’s now 3pm and I hadn’t slept a wink. Minseok keeps insisting I eat something, but I’m not hungry. I feel like I’m going to throw up every second.

Lay had taken Yuna to America apparently. I don’t even know what to think about her right now. I feel like a bad friend for thinking this, but if she had called me somehow or warned me that ‘hey I’m about to board a plane to America’, this wouldn’t have happened. She would be safe at home and Jiyong would still be alive. I’m not saying it’s her fault, but that’s exactly what I’m saying. She was defending Lay. She was calling him Yixing. That sparks unnerving thoughts if you ask me. For years I have tolerated his attempts at getting my casino, but this was too far. He technically hadn’t shot the gun, but he’s still involved. 

This was the last straw. Jiyong’s death was enough to wake me up. I’m not risking anybody’s life for this fucking casino. He clearly wants it desperately, so he can have it.

I head to my room to grab my phone. I open the door, and I see Minseok is arranging various plates on my bed. “What on earth are you doing?” he let’s out a small yelp and turns around. “I figured that if you’re going to be locked in your room all day and not eat with us, then we can bring the meal to your room. That way you don’t have to go down there and when we’re done, we’ll leave you alone.”

I noticed that there were several chairs lined up at the edge of my bed as well. “Did you carry these up here?” “Yeah, why?” “You should’ve asked me to help you.” He shook his head. “You’re going through too much already. Besides, I’ve gained a lot of muscle thanks to you.” He grinned. Leave it to him to lift my mood up. That smile was better than any antidepressant. “Come here.” I pulled him into a hug. “What would I do without you.” I mumbled. “You’d be fine, noona. You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for.” He gives me a light kiss. “I love you.” he murmurs against my lips. “I love you too.” I pull him into another tight embrace before he goes to call the others up. 

I let out a deep breath. If I’m as strong as he claims I am, I hope I can put that to good use once he leaves next week.

~

(Lay’s POV)

Yuna had refused to fly to America after the events that took place. We had gone back home and she demanded that I do something about Amber. I agreed. Her actions were inexcusable. Someone in SM is taking care of it as of right now.

Yuna hasn’t left her room at all and she refuses to talk to me. There were so many thoughts and emotions going through my head but one stood out more than the rest. MeiBo. Something in me was making me feel enormous amounts of pity for her, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t get rid of it. I can’t really make it up to her in any way, but I have an idea if she’s willing to go along with it.

I dial her number and pray that she picks up. “Hello?” “MeiBo thank God, I need you to come over right now.” She’s silent for a little bit. “Please don’t call me back Lay. Delete my number. Erase me completely from your life. I don’t want to be a part of it anymore.” “MeiBo, wait. It’s about your parents.” “...What?” “I can take you to them.” She pauses again. “I’ll be there in a few minutes. This had better not be one of your games.” She hangs up.

I go to knock on Yuna’s door. “I’m going out for a few hours. If you need anything, just call for Chaerin okay?” She doesn’t answer. I didn’t expect her to. I pull on my jacket and exit the door.

~

We arrive in Busan after three hours. We had taken the train and sat at the very back. We didn’t speak to each other, she wasn’t in the best of moods and neither was I.

When we got off the train, we had taken a taxi to the cemetery. I searched for two bouquets of flowers that were ordered to be renewed every month. I spot them and lead her to them.

“Are these my parents?” she whispers. “Yes. I asked for them to buried together. I heard that your mother liked tiger lilies so that’s why those are renewed every month at the florist down the corner.”

I had expected her to cry, but she didn’t. I found it strange that she cried over someone who wasn’t close to her, but she won’t cry for her parents. “We can go now.” she says, pulling a picture from her purse, and placing it in the bouquet. “They don’t have headstones, but the people who visit will know who they are when they see that picture.” I give her a curious look. “Why would they know?” 

She continues walking. “Because they’ll recognize them as the couple who sold their only child for five grand.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JIYONG I'M SO SORRY. Why did I think this was a good idea. Oh god. I'm so sorry guys XD


	18. Secret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to update! Last chapter was the last one on Google docs so I've been thinking of what I wanted to happen in this one! Hope you like it!

(Ni-Ah’s POV)

The funeral was longer than I would’ve liked. I specifically said that I did not want to make any sort of speech because I had nothing to say. Of course I felt bad for his family and friends, but that wasn’t the problem. The problem was, that it’s none of their business what me and Jiyong had. It’s none of their business that he was the only person I considered family. Call it rude, hypocritical, or whatever you want. It’s still none of their concern. So when I was asked to give a few words, I refused. I gave them the excuse that I wasn’t emotionally prepared to speak in front of others, and to be honest, I really wasn’t. I waited patiently for everyone to say a few kind words and for how much he had meant to them. It took me a lot of restraint not to scoff. It was all utter bullshit. Most of these people were only here to make themselves feel better for having abandoned him. Especially when he needed them most. Disgusting really. 

I walked over to the coffin and placed a small photograph on top of the flowers on it. It was the first picture we ever took. It was when I first debuted and he had flown all the way from Japan to congratulate me. I wouldn’t be where I am now without him. I smile to myself as I walk back to my spot, tears stinging my eyes once more. You really never know how important something is to you until you lose it.

~

I unlock the door and place my things on the table. Aria was sitting on the living room couch, on the phone. She turns over to me and bids a quick farewell to whoever’s on the other line. “Are you feeling okay? How did it go?” she asks. “It’s a funeral, Aria. What do you think?” She gets off the couch and comes to give me a hug. “I’m really sorry. We’ll find a way to cope with it eventually.” She’s really trying, I can see that, but it’s not helping. Minseok and Chanyeol were both off shooting some type of show and Baekhyun was still in his bedroom. “Is he still upset?” I ask, taking a seat. “Yeah, I was just on the phone with him. He won’t come down. I’ve been bringing him food and water all day.” I sigh. “He knows perfectly well why I did it. It’s her fault all this happened. If Jiyong hadn’t been so naïve to help her, everything would be okay. He was always too quick to see the good in people. That was where he went wrong.”

I hear the creaking of the steps and turn around. “She was just trying to help you know. I’m not sure exactly what happened, but she left whoever she was working for. If that doesn’t prove that she was loyal to you, then I don’t know what will.” Baekhyun climbs down the stairs and walks outside. “I’m heading to the pool. I’ll be there if you need me.” I push myself off the sofa and slip on my shoes. “Where are you going?” asks Aria. “I’m going to find a way to get Yuna back.”

~

(Aria’s POV)

Once Ni-Ah leaves, I join Baekhyun in the pool. He’s leaned against the edge, head down and eyes closed. I wade over to him and tap his shoulder. He let’s out a ‘hmm’ as a response. “Are you just going to wallow in your self-pity or are you going to do something about it?” I ask. He opens one eye. “What exactly do you think I should do? I don’t know where she is or if she even wants to see me.” He sinks lower into the water. I let out a frustrated sigh. “Baek, you have her number. Why don’t you just call her?” He opens his eyes again, realization crossing his features. “Oh yeah. I completely forgot about that. But still, what if she doesn’t want to talk to me. After everything that happened, I wouldn’t be surprised.” I reach over and pull him up by his shoulders. I gave him a light shake for good measure. “Will you quit it? That attitude isn’t going to get you anywhere. A call from you is probably what she needs. She really liked you, you know. So I’m pretty sure she’d be glad you were the first to contact her after all this mess.” “You really think so?” “Yes, so go in there and tell her to meet you somewhere. I won’t tell Ni-Ah. I promise.” He climbs over the edge of the pool and ducks back down to give me a hug. “Thank you.” He says, as he dashed back inside. I better start thinking of a good excuse for when Ni-Ah comes back.

~

(Baekhyun’s POV)

It takes me three tries before she finally answers her phone. “Hello?” “Ara! It’s Baekhyun, do you have a minute?” “Baekhyun? Why are you calling me? I thought-” “Where are you right now?” She hesitates. “Baekhyun, what’s going on?” “Please, just trust me on this. Where are you right now?” “I’m at home. Why?” I’m already rushing downstairs and out the door, giving Aria a quick wave goodbye. “I’m on my way to pick you up. Be ready.”

~

We drove in silence. Again. I honestly had no idea what I wanted to do at first so I just winged it. I took her to the mall first and let her pick out a few things. She kept picking out small things, claiming that she didn’t want to take advantage of my money. I saw that she had been eyeing the same black jacket for a while so I insisted on buying it for her. She had complained all the way to the register until I told her to put it on. She looked in the mirror and mumbled, “Damn, I have good taste.” And strutted out the store.

She went on like this, picking out things for me as well. I had to pay for it all though, not that I complained. She was having fun and that’s all that mattered. I wanted to cheer her up; see that smile of hers. It made my heart skip a beat. “You know it’s like seventy degrees outside for you to be wearing that jacket.” I say. “So? You bought it for me so I’m going to wear it. It looks really good on me too huh? Take a picture, it’ll last longer.” she smiles. I pull out my phone and she  poses . I let her see it first before saving it. “Send that to me. I look cute.” I chuckle as I save it and send it to her. I noticed she kept looking up at the sky. “What are you looking for?” “I’m seeing if I can see the constellations, but it’s a bit cloudy today.” “Do you like stargazing?” She smiles. “I love everything space related really.” An idea pops into my head and I tug her wrist. “Come on. We still have time to get there.” She tilts her head. “Get where?” I grin. “You’ll see.”

~

(MeiBo’s POV)

“Baekhyun, we’ve been driving for hours. Where the hell are you taking us?” He ignores me for the fifth time. “I told you that we’ll be there soon, if I’m going in the right direction.” “What do you mean ‘if’? Are you telling me you have to idea where you’re going?!” “I’ve only gone there once so I’m trusting my memory on this.” I stare at him. “Baekhyun I swear to God if you get us lost-” “Look! There it is!” He turned the corner and I could make out what looked like some sort of observatory. That wasn’t what had me in awe though. It was the sky. All above me there were millions, no, trillions of  star s and I could see everything perfectly. The night sky was so clear that I could make out every single constellation. “Baekhyun, oh my God, look! It’s so mesmerizing.” “I should’ve taken you here earlier. The observatory’s closed so we can’t use the telescopes.” I shake my head. “No, no that’s perfectly fine. I can see everything from here.” He rolls down the windows so that I can stick my head out. I knew we weren’t supposed to be out here, so I didn’t want to risk getting caught by stepping out.

“Can you make out the constellations? It’s mid-July so we should be able to see ten of them here in the northern hemisphere. Look, there’s Draco. And Hercules is over there. Oh! Scorpius is right there! That one’s my favorite.” I turn to look at him and he’s facing in the completely wrong direction. “I have no idea what I’m supposed to be looking at right now, Ara.” I sigh. “That’s not my name. Didn’t Ni-Ah tell you?” “She didn’t tell me much. If that’s not your name, then what is it?” “MeiBo.” “So why did you change it?” I fidget with my jacket zipper. “Because I had to. For obvious reasons that I don’t want to talk about.” He starts to apologize. “No, it’s fine. But also because Ara is my favorite constellation.” He looks back up at the sky. “Is that one up there too?” I smile. He really is adorable. “You see those stars forming a large triangle? That’s the Triangulum Australe. Ara is above it. Connect those to form that trapezoid and then those other stars connect to it from afar.” He’s twisting around in his seat to get a better look. “It kind of looks like that crab one.” “You mean Cancer?” “Yeah. I think.” “I guess they’re kind of similar.” I chuckle.

“Baekhyun, there are plenty of stargazing places in Seoul. Why did you drive me four hours to look at stars?” “I wanted to talk to you.” I wanted to talk to you. He says it like it’s the most obvious answer in the world. He drove us four hours away to stargaze, to a place where no one would know us, so that we could have a conversation. I want to laugh and cry and hug the living crap out of him. I kiss him instead. As soon as my lips are on his, his hand is at the back of my neck, and he’s pulling me against his chest like he’s been waiting for this forever and he’s not going to let me get away. But I don’t want to get away; and if the steering wheel wasn’t there, I would climb onto his lap just to be closer to him. Then he shifts just slightly and I’m not kissing him anymore. He’s kissing me. And when he does, part of me is lost. But it’s the part that’s twisted and mangled and wrong, and for just that moment, with his hands in my hair and his lips on my mouth, I can pretend that it never existed.

~

(Ni-Ah’s POV)

I step out of the shower and change into a fresh set of clothes. I wrap my hair in a towel and head to the bathroom downstairs to dry it. I turn the corner and see Baekhyun, tiptoeing into the living room. “So how did it go?” I ask. He turns around and screams, clenching his hand over his chest. “Fucking hell! Do you want to kill me?” He says. “Where have you been?” “Me? Oh, ya know. Shopping. For stuff. And food.” I look around him. “And did you like, buy anything?” His eyes widened. “Window shopping. I didn’t actually plan on buying anything.” “And I assume that you were wearing that jacket when you left?” He looks down at what he’s wearing and slaps himself. “Fine. I was with MeiBo. Happy?” He throws his hands up. “No. We talked about this Baekhyun. Getting attached to her isn’t going to do you any good.” “Psh too late now.” He laughs. “Why are you so irresponsible-” “Guess who’s back!” We both turn to see Chanyeol, throwing his suitcase on the couch and slipping out of his jacket. “Chanyeol! You’re here early? What happened?” I ask. “We finished our photoshoots early and the show was postponed to next week.” He ruffles Baekhyun’s hair and nuzzles his head into my shoulder. “I missed you guys so much. And the food. They couldn’t provide us with decent food over there. Not even ramyeon.” I look back towards the door. “Where’s Minseok?” “He stayed at the hotel. He said he’d take care of everything just in case they decided to go on with the show.” I frown. I’d been expecting him to arrive tomorrow. “Aish why’d he have to do that? He knew I was looking forward to him coming home.” 

Chanyeol lifts his head from my shoulder and stares at me. “Does it matter that he’s not here? I came home. Or is that not good enough for you,  _ Miss Kim _ ?” I look at him, baffled. “Yeol, what are you-” He puts his hand up to stop me. “Every time I’m around you never take me into account. And whenever he is all you do is talk to him. You don’t ever acknowledge that I’m there too. Even when he’s not here all you do is talk about him. Minseok this, Minseok that. Well what about me? What is he doing that I’m not? Do I not matter to you?” His voice has been slowly rising and it’s getting close to yelling. His temper is beginning to get the best of him. “Chanyeol, you’re overreacting-” “Am I? Or is it you who doesn’t want to take this seriously? Doesn’t want to take  _ me  _ seriously?” 

“Look, it’s not my problem that you don’t try to get involved with our conversations-” “Are you fucking kidding me?!” His temper finally broke through, and he was yelling now. “Don’t try? Don’t fucking try?! What the fuck do you think I’ve been doing? Every single day I try to make conversation and the reason it gets absolutely nowhere is because you keep brushing it off! It’s not that hard to be friends with me, so why do you avoid me? It’s not like I’m trying to get into your damn pants-” “That is enough!” I exclaim over his yells. “You want to know why I blow off the conversations? Because as soon as you get too close or so much as do something nice for me I want to throw up. And you know why? Because never in my life have I ever met anyone so desperate for attention. I avoid you because I’m afraid that if I return the gesture, it’ll turn into something else that just a friendly glance or smile. I’m sorry, but I can’t get attached to you. It wouldn’t be fair.” The whole time I was speaking, it looked like I had grabbed hold of his heart, and shattered it into a thousand pieces.

“Fair? What do you mean fair? All I’ve ever done is be kind to you and you just throw my affection away. Do I really mean that little to you?” It hurts, it really does. I know I’m hurting him more though. But it’s better to get our positions clear now than to risk it developing into something else. “I’m sorry, Chanyeol. But I can’t. And I’m sure you know why.” I turn to head upstairs, Baekhyun having long left the heated discussion. “Why him? At least answer me this. Did I have a chance? If you had not fallen for him, would I have been enough?” Do I tell him the truth? Or should I lie? Will he be able to tell the difference? “No. You wouldn’t have. Goodnight Chanyeol.” I don’t look back, because I knew that if I did, I wouldn’t be able to cope with the tears I caused to fall from his eyes.

~

(Chanyeol’s POV)

Why am I so fucking stupid? Of course I never stood a chance. I was only hurting myself by believing I could win her over. I rinse my face and look in the mirror. I wasn’t bad looking, I did everything I could to make her laugh, smile and just cheer her up. I bought her stuff, cooked for her. So what did Minseok have that I didn’t? What was I doing wrong? Maybe he just got to her first. You snooze, you lose I guess. I dry off the water from my face and walk down the hallway and back to my room. I don’t know why, but I decide to stop outside Ni-Ah’s door. I stand there for a good two minutes before I knock.  _ What the hell am I doing?  _ “Come in, Yeolie.” I open the door and walk in. “How’d you know it was me?” She looks up from her book. “You’re the only one crazy enough besides me to be awake at 2am.” “Oh,” I make my way over to her bed and sit on the edge.

“Is there a specific reason you’re up so late?” “My heart and brain are at war with each other.” I can hear her deep intake of breath. “I know how that feels.” She turns the page. “Do you? Because you have an odd way of showing it.” She closes her book and sets it on the bedside table. “I don’t really show my emotions. It makes me seem weak.” I scoff. “So you’re saying I’m weak now? First I’m not good enough and now I’m weak too.” “If you came here to have that argument again, then you can leave. I don’t want to talk about it.” I try my best to ease my temper again. “You see? Always brushing it off. It gets on my nerves.” “Then maybe that’s why this would have never worked out.”

We make eye contact for a brief second before she looks down at her lap. “If you’re done, then you can leave. It’s late.” “I’m not done. And I won’t be done until you give me a good reason as to why-” “I don’t have to give you anything! We can’t and that’s the end of it!” I turn until I’m sitting right across from her. “Just tell me why! That’s all I’m asking for-” “Because I don’t want to!” “That’s bullshit and you know it. I can see the war in your eyes. I’ve noticed it the minute we started talking so don’t you pull that shit with me.” “What the fuck do you want from me?!” she screams, sitting up. She’s now centimeters away from my face and with every breath she exhales I get a faint taste of her. “I just want you to be mine. Just for tonight. I beg you.” I whisper. “Chanyeol, we can’t-” I cut her off with a light kiss to her cheek. I felt the shivers that ran down her spine. “If you want me to stop, tell me now.” I whisper. She said nothing, so I brush my lips over the skin of her temple. “Or now,” I trace the line of cheekbone. “Or now,” I faintly touch her lips with mine.

“Or-” But she had reached up and connected our lips, and my words were lost against her mouth. I kissed her gently, carefully, but it wasn’t gentleness she wanted, not now, not after all this time of denying herself. She knotted her fists against my shirt and pulled me closer. I groaned softly, and circled my arms around her and we rolled over in the bed, tangled but still kissing. She was under me, but she was in control of the kiss, having lost myself in the bliss of it all. She pushes me lightly so she can pull away to take a breath. I press my forehead against hers and catch my breath. “Why do you do this to me?” she whispers. I smile. “I’m not complaining, so you shouldn’t either.” She pushes my chest and I roll off of her. I climb off the bed and head towards the door. “Chanyeol,” I look behind me. “Yeah?” “I’m not yours just for tonight anymore.” I chuckle. “Good.” I say, and shut the door behind me.


	19. Denial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I took so long! I've been so busy with school but I managed to type another chapter for you guys.

(Lay’s POV)

 

“I want to go home.” she repeats. I turn my head to look at her, she was sprawled on the couch, face buried in a cushion, muffling her statement. This was the fourth time she’d asked me to take her home. I had ignored the past three times, but it was getting harder to push it out of my head. “ What is it with you and going home? You were doing fine, so why the sudden change of mind?” She raises her head and gives me an incredulous look. “Um, hello? Are you not aware of what happened? I should be at home right now grieving with Ni-Ah and the others. Not rotting away in the house of a murderer.”

 

I laugh. “Do you really want to play that game with me? I’m not the only tainted one here. You’ve killed people, Ni-Ah’s killed people, so why am I any different?” “Because you killed somebody important. Somebody that was close to all of us. Somebody we loved. But I guess you wouldn’t understand any of that, now would you?” I clench my jaw and stride over to her. “Listen. I am absolutely sick and tired of people like you saying I know nothing about love. You don’t fucking know me well enough to make that judgement and you probably never will. Because lowlives like you always stab people in the back. They gain the other person’s trust and once they get what they want they leave them behind with their heart in their hands. So don’t you dare say shit like that to me, do you understand?” 

 

“You’re an asshole. I have no interest about what happened in your past. But for you to inflict that amount of pain on someone else is absolutely disgusting.” “I didn’t fucking kill him!” “You could’ve stopped it from happening!” “What do you think I was trying to do?! Do you honestly think I would’ve let her kill him on purpose? You don’t have a clue of the things I was being forced to do! He was my friend, even though we stopped talking for years, I would’ve never done anything to put him in danger. But I didn’t have a fucking choice!” 

She faltered. “He was your friend-” I was too irritated to stop. “But you never shut your damn mouth for one fucking second to let me explain do you? You call me an asshole but do you ever listen to yourself speak? You’re a bitch most of the time and honestly I don’t understand how I’ve been dealing with you for so long.”

 

I saw a hint of hurt in her eyes but it was gone in a second. “Well you should take me home then if you hate me so much. And to think you were actually trying to like me. My mistake.” “It’s not my fault you’re so desperate that you mistake any sign of affection as me liking you. I wouldn’t lower my expectations down to your level.” 

 

It was a lie. One of the biggest ones I’ve told. Because the truth was, I was the one who was desperate. Desperate for her. So as soon as those words left my mouth, I regretted them. 

She’s eyeing me like she’s about to punch me, but I can’t stop staring at her mouth, hoping she insults me again. Somewhere between being called an asshole and this moment, I’ve become more turned on than I’ve ever been in my life. I’m hoping she’s about to storm off to her bedroom because I’ve already met my quota for restraint when it comes to her.

 

She licks her bottom lip, and I have to grip the couch cushion to keep myself from attacking that mouth. Her eyes are focused intensely on mine, and we’re both breathing so heavily from our verbal attacks, I can taste her breath on my lips. “I hate you,” she says through clenched teeth. “I hated you first,” I hiss back.

 

Her focus falls on my mouth and as soon as I see the tiniest flash of desire in her eyes, I lunge forward. I grab her face and press my lips to hers as I shove her back against the couch. She’s pushing me away with her knees while pulling me to her with her hands. 

My tongue forces through the barrier of her lips and she devours me in response. I kiss her hard, and she kisses me even harder. I’m pulling at a fistful of her hair while she scratches down my neck with her fingernails. Fuck, it hurts. She hurts. I want more. I’m hovering over her and then pressing myself against her, pulling her knee up so she can wrap it around my waist. Her hands are in my hair, and I don’t want her to move out. I want her to stay. I want her to be my roommate forever. She’s the best fucking roommate and my God, she’s so nice. How did I ever think she was mean? She’s so, so sweet, and her lips are sweet as well.

 

“HwaYoung,” I whisper, wanting to say her name out loud. I pull away from her mouth and begin working my way down her neck. As soon as I make it to her shoulder, she begins to push me away with her hands. Just like that, I snap back to reality and separate from her willingly. 

I move to the other end of the couch, needing the space to wrap my head around what the hell just happened. She looks at me in horror and wipes her mouth with her sleeve before rushing upstairs. “HwaYoung wait,” But the only response I receive is the loud slam of her bedroom door.

 

(Yuna’s POV)

 

As soon as I lock my door, I collapse onto the bed. That didn’t happen. That did not just fucking happen. I will keep on telling myself that as many times as it takes me to believe it. Why had he done it in the first place? No, why had I kissed him back? I had tried to push him away the minute his lips touched mine, but something about the way he tasted, the way he was pulling my hair, made it impossible to stop. 

Until I came to my senses, that is. He had contradicted everything he had said about me in that same minute. So maybe he hadn’t meant those things. As much as I hate to admit it, I want him to like me. I don’t want him to call me a lowlife, or the scum on the bottom of his shoes. I want him to make me feel valuable; treasured. At least to him.

 

If I concentrate enough, I can still faintly taste him on my lips. My stubbornness had driven me to rub my sleeve over my mouth, I refused to let him think he’d won. I won’t give in to him. Not now, not tomorrow, not ever. Denial is key. It can overcome even the strongest desires. But it can also strengthen them. I just hope it’s not the latter.

~

(Ni-Ah’s POV)

 

I’ve run out of ideas. Honestly, I’ve never had any to begin with, but it feels right to finally say it. I had given up on trying to take Yuna from Lay by force so I guess all I can do now is negotiate. It’s what he does best after all.

 

“No, you don’t have to bring her. I’d rather we discuss it alone. Just come to my house, I doubt you can do more damage. Killing me is as far as you can go but I can promise you that it’s not a good idea.” I can hear him sigh from the other line. “Ni-Ah you know I wouldn’t hurt you.” “Really now? Because you’ve hurt me pretty bad in the span of a week, Lay.” “I’ll be there soon.” And with that, he hangs up. 

I made sure to send both Chanyeol and Baekhyun with Aria to go out somewhere. I told her to not allow them back until six. I’d like to avoid the confrontation that would happen if they were to find out why Lay has been ‘missing out’ on promotions.

 

An hour passes before the doorbell rings. I walk over and open the door. “You’re late.” I say. “At least I came.” He steps inside and takes off his shoes. “You had to. Or I would’ve dragged you here myself.” We take a seat opposite each other and I pour myself a glass of whiskey. “So what do you want?” he asks, reaching his glass over. “You’re really asking me that question?” I ask, filling his glass. “I want you to bring back Yuna. Is it really that much to ask?” 

He downs his glass in one go and refills it himself. “HwaYoung is fine where she is. I’m taking good care of her.” I tighten my grip on my glass. “Are you now? And I’m supposed to believe that?” “You can believe whatever you want. We’re perfectly happy the way we are right now.” I sit up, put my glass down and cross my arms. “Put her on the phone.” “What?” “Did I stutter? I said put her on the phone. If you can speak for the both of you, I want to hear her say in it. If she agrees, then she can stay. But the moment she even hesitates, she’s coming home. Do you understand?”

 

“And what do I get in return?” “The casino. You wanted it desperately didn’t you? Well, if you give me Yuna back, then it’s all yours.” He seems to think about it for a few seconds, before reaching for his phone. “She doesn’t have her phone, but I’ll dial the home phone and let Chaerin take it to her.” I shrug. “Do whatever you want.” He dials the number and raises the phone to his ear. “Chaerin? Yes, it’s Yixing. Can you put HwaYoung on the phone for me? She’s in her room. Okay.”

He waits a little before looking up at me and putting the phone on speaker. “Yixing? What is it? Where did you go? I’ve been waiting for hours for you to come back with that wine you promised-” she rambles. “Yuna? It’s Ni-Ah. Are you okay?” There’s a small pause before she answers.

 

“Ni-Ah? Why do you have Yixing’s phone? And where is he right now-” “That doesn’t matter. What are you doing right now?” “I’m watching television. How are the others? I haven’t seen you in forever and I’ve been begging Yixing to let me go home to see you but he won’t let me. We got into this huge argument about it yesterday and one thing led to.. Wait nevermind.” she trailed off. “Yuna? What are you talking about? What happened?” “It’s nothing. It was just an argument.”

“HwaYoung you better tell me what the hell happened or I swear to God-” “He kissed me! It wasn’t a big deal, it just happened. It didn’t mean anything I promise.” I stare at the phone. Everything was starting to make sense now. The first name basis, Yuna defending Lay, and now here she is full on confessing. It was like some sort of messed up relationship. “I want you to pack your things. I need to talk to you about a few things.” I hang up the phone and hand it back to Lay. “I want her here now. I don’t want to hear any more of your excuses. Just bring me back my friend.”

 

(Minseok’s POV)

 

The taxi drops me off and I dial Chanyeol to let him know I’m back in Seoul. I wait a little before I spot him with Baekhyun and Aria over by the food stands. I wave over to get their attention and cross over to them. “Hyung! You’re finally here! What took you so long?” “I couldn’t find a flight back here. I managed to get this one last minute. It was the last flight to Seoul for another 3 weeks.” “The airlines have been busy these past few weeks. Especially since the holidays are coming up.” says Baekhyun. 

“I’m gonna head home and set my stuff down. I’m really tired too so I think I’ll take a nap.” I start to walk away when Aria lets out a “No!” We all look at her. “I mean we can’t go home yet because… because… because noona has a surprise for you guys!” she nods her head up and down. “A surprise?” I ask. “Well, I just won’t take notice. I really have to set my stuff down.” “Wait! I’ll drive you guys. I parked my car somewhere.”

~

“Aria, we’ve been looking for your car for thirty minutes. Where did you park it?” I say through gritted teeth. My feet were killing me and my head was starting to hurt. I was completely exhausted and I really did not want to deal with this at the moment. “Aria, you parked it by the coffee shop. Like you always do.” said Chanyeol. I look over at him. “You knew where it was?!” “Yeah?” “Then why the fuck didn’t you say anything sooner?!” “Ha I forgot.” I could strangle him. But I can’t reach his neck so I’ll settle for kicking him in the shin. “Ow! I was joking!” As soon as we spot the car, I put my luggage in the trunk and get into the back. “Can we please go home now?” Aria buckles her seatbelt and starts the engine. “Yeah, yeah I’m going.”

~

“Tell me again why you chose to take the longest route home again?” asks Baekhyun. “Can I not spend quality time with you guys?” “Sure. Not when Xiumin is about to rip our heads off though.” says Chanyeol, glancing at me. “I’m just tired. And we spent a good hour finding the fucking car when a certain  _ someone  _ knew where it was.” I glare at him.

“Oh, whatever. Stop being petty-OW” I smack him on the back of the head. We finally pull into the driveway and I exit the car. I drag my luggage out of the trunk and head towards the door. I turn around and notice that there’s another silver car next to Ni-Ah’s. I don’t recognize it at all. Who did she bring over? Chanyeol walks over next to me and notices it too.

“Do you recognize it at all?” I ask him. “No. And there’s something unsettling about it. But I mean Aria said there was going to be a surprise right?” I look back and see Aria on the phone. Whoever she’s calling isn’t picking up. “Do you have your revolver with you?” I ask. “Always.” “Both of them? I couldn’t bring mine. I would’ve gotten searched at the airport.” He unbuttons his jacket and hands one to me. “Just in case.” 

 

“Hey guys, wait up!” says Baekhyun. I walk over to the garage door and go in through there. “What are we doing?” asks Baekhyun. “Something doesn’t feel right.” We walk down the hallway and past the computer room. I can hear voices and I put my hand up for the others to stop. 

“I told you I don’t want the damn casino! I never wanted it in the first place so you can keep the bloody place-” “Whether you take it or not, I expect you to bring Yuna back to me! Who knows what you could do to her-” “Are you fucking kidding me?! Do you honestly think I would stoop to such a level as to do that to  _ any  _ woman?! Who do you think I am?” “I don’t know anymore! You’ve lied so many times that I don’t know who you are and if anything that comes out of your mouth is worth believing!”

 

I look back at Chanyeol. I can’t risk communicating but I think he can make it out from my eyes. This is the man responsible for Jiyong’s death. The man that MeiBo worked for. And he was in our house. I signal for Baekhyun to stay hidden as me and Chanyeol rush forward, guns aimed.

At first, I think I’m seeing things. Lack of sleep will do that to people. But as I blink once, twice, and a third time, I realize that my eyes aren’t lying to me. I realize that the man responsible for so much chaos, for so much suffering, was Lay. Our Lay. Chanyeol’s gun falls to the floor and he just stands there. I look back from Ni-Ah, to Lay, and back. 

“Minseok, what are you-” she begins. “Tell me it isn’t true. Tell me that he isn’t here for the reason I think he is.” I turn to see Baekhyun, stepping out from the corner, and freezing. Just like Chanyeol had. “Lay? What are you-” “I said tell me it isn’t true!” The air is filled with so much tension that breathing has become difficult.

 

“Look, I can explain if you just-” “No. I want to hear it from him.” Not once have I lowered my gun, but I step closer to him; daring him to make up an excuse. “Minseok, put the gun down please.” he says. I don’t budge. I don’t know who to trust anymore.

“Did you lower your gun when you killed Jiyong?” I whisper. I can see him visibly tense. “Who told you that?” he looks at Ni-Ah. “Did you tell him? Are you just going to go around and turn all my friends against me now huh?” He steps closer to her and I click a bullet into place. He stops and looks at me. “Minseok. You wouldn’t shoot your friend would you?” he raises his hands. “Are you my friend? Were you ever my friend? Or Chanyeol’s? Or Baekhyun’s?” His gaze falters. “Of course I was. And I still am-” I shake my head. 

“No you’re not. Not after what you did.” Ni-Ah inches closer and prompts me to lower the gun. “Baby, please calm down.” Lay snatches his gaze back to her. “Baby? So you tell me I can’t love HwaYoung, but you’re over here drooling over Minseok?” “That doesn’t matter right now. We clearly have a bigger problem to clear up.” 

 

“Yeol, you have to understand that I never meant for things to go the way they did. You’re my friend, you have to believe me.” I look over at Chanyeol and see that he’s breathing heavily. “I thought I was your friend too. You said you’d never hurt anyone. And I was a fool to believe you.” 

It takes a while to process his words before something clicks. “Chanyeol, what do you mean he said he’d never hurt anyone? D-did you know he was doing these things?” He looks at me and he doesn’t have to respond. I saw the flash of guilt that shone in his eyes and I felt my chest constrict. Ni-Ah seems to catch it too, because she strides over so that they’re now level. 

“Are you saying you knew this would happen? This whole time, you could’ve stopped it?” “Yes.” His voice is barely above a whisper. “You knew Jiyong would die didn’t you? Didn’t you? And you did nothing to stop it?” “No, his death was purely accidental-” The sound fills up the room as she slaps him. “Don’t you dare say my brother’s death was accidental. I am sick of putting my trust in people that will pull off shit like this. Does it bring you joy to see me suffer?”

She places her palm lightly where she struck him. “I thought you were different. I thought we could’ve made this work.” She lets her hand fall beside her. “I think everyone’s had their fill of betrayal.” She turns to Lay. “Yuna may stay at your home for the time being. It won’t be long before she decides to leave herself anyways. You may leave.” He gives us a long look. “Feel free to call me if you have questions. You deserve an explanation.” He puts on his shoes and exits the door.

 

An awkward silence befalls us again and I glance up at Chanyeol. He looks like he wants to vanish into thin air. I’m not as upset as I should be. I just feel bad for him. I don’t understand how any of this happened, but I can tell he’s got a war going on in his head. 

He bends down to pick up his revolver, and he hands it to me. “I won’t be needing it anymore.” he says and walks towards the door. “Where are you going?” asks Ni-Ah. I see him flinch. “I’m leaving. I don’t deserve to stay here after what I did. It’s all my fault and I know I should’ve told you. I was just scared. Besides, you don’t need me. Minseok’s back now and I’m nothing compared to him.” 

 

Ni-Ah walks over to him, as if to strike him again, but she pulls him against her chest. I’ve always admired Chanyeol for being happy all the time. Always cheering us up. But now it looks like it’s our turn to do that. Because the only noise in the house now besides Aria opening the garage door, was Chanyeol’s muffled sobs.

Aria had been right. She had said Ni-Ah had had a surprise for us. And that’s exactly what we got


	20. Error

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been 3 months I'm so sorry guys! I've been focused on other things and haven't had time to update at all. I made this chapter a bit longer and I'm already working on the next one so it won't take another eternity for me to upload. Also I didn't bother o check for any typos or spelling errors so I'm sorry if there's any in the chapter. Hope you guys like it!!

(Ni-Ah’s POV)

I walk Chanyeol to the kitchen in silence. I didn’t exactly have an idea of how I was supposed to feel towards him at the moment, giving the events that just occurred. Of course I was upset. That was an understatement really. But there are various forms of upset. I think I was feeling all of them. I was angry at the fact that he never bothered to tell me what was going on, angry that it never occurred to him that everything could go wrong at any time, and most importantly, angry at him for being a coward. However, those feelings were overpowered by pity. So many things were going on and he had no way of keeping up with any of it. Eventually, everything just collapsed and landed him in this situation.

I reach into the cupboard, pull out a tequila bottle and hand it to him. “Here.” He looks up at me. “I don’t want to get drunk. I just want to go to bed.” I place it on the table. “Well this will get the job done faster. Drink.” “Out of the bottle? At least give me a cup or something.” I shake my head. “That one’s just for you. I suggest you head up to your bedroom for now. Don’t get carried away though. I don’t feel like cleaning up any mess you might make.” We head upstairs and I’m about to walk into my bedroom when he calls out my name. “What now?” “I can’t finish this on my own.” he says. “I’m not asking you to. Leave whatever’s left on the table.” He steps away from the doorframe. “You know that’s not what I mean.” I knew exactly what he meant. I was trying to shut it down. “Chanyeol, I’m really not in the mood-” He grabs my wrist. “Just stay with me. We don’t have to do anything. Please.” I look at him for a moment, deciding what I should do. I tug my wrist out of his grasp. The hurt in his eyes makes me want to hurl. Why did I always have to make him feel completely worthless? 

“Go to bed, Chanyeol. If you need anything, I’ll be in my room. I think we both need some rest after today.” I walk into my room and shut the door without looking back.

~

About a half hour has passed and I haven’t heard anything from him. I kept getting the urge that I should check on him, but I push it away. He’s a grown man, he can take care of himself. But can he? He’s been a complete mess and I don’t even know if he can think rationally with everything that’s been eating away at him. I’ve been hard on him too and I felt horrible. Guilt finally won over and I pushed myself off the bed and headed towards his room. I didn’t bother knocking just in case he was asleep. I walked inside and noticed all the lights were switched off, leaving the room pitch black. I flipped on the light switch and looked around the room. Empty. I searched in the bathroom but nobody was in there either. I rush upstairs to the third floor, and all the way down to the first floor but Chanyeol’s nowhere to be seen. 

I run out to my car and start the engine. He couldn’t have gone far. He’s only been gone for thirty minutes and he probably walked. I drive around for a few minutes to see if he wandered into the trees but find nothing. He probably managed to make it to town. 

Even though it’s late, the streets are buzzing with people. I scan the crowd but don’t see him anywhere. Where could he have gone? I park my car and cross the street. I’ll just have to search every goddamn building until I find him. 

I’ve searched about 7 different stores and still no luck. Why did I have to slap him? I should’ve just stayed with him like he asked me to but I have to be so damn stubborn all the time. I must look crazy from all the looks the civilians are giving me. Or maybe they’re wondering why Kim Ni-Ah is standing in the middle of the clothing aisle at the cheapest supermarket in town. I walk outside and get back in my car, considering whether I should just wait and see if he comes back in the morning. Not two minutes later, my phone rings.

“Hello?” “... Noona. *hiccup* Noona it’s Chanyeol. Can you *hiccup* can you come pick me up? I don’t feel well.” “Chanyeol? Where the fuck are you? Why did you think it was okay-” “Please don’t be mad. I’ll cry if you do and I don’t want to cry anymore. I want to prove to you that I’m not a *hiccup* a coward.” “Honey, forget that for a minute and tell me where you are right now.” “I’m at The Vault. The lady keeps telling me I need to leave but I don’t know the way home. *hiccup* Noona I really don’t feel good.” “I’m on my way now okay? Give me a few minutes.”

I pull out and speed over to the bar he’s at. “Yeolie, don’t hang up okay? Stay with me now. I’m outside right now, can you come out?” “Hmm I don’t think I can walk. Everything’s blurry.” “Well I’m going to need you to try your best because I didn’t bring my ID.” “You don’t need and ID if you’re *hiccup* Kim Ni-Ah. Come get me pleeease.” I sigh and explain the situation to the man at the door. He lets me in and as soon as I enter, my eyes find Chanyeol. He’s laying on one of the tables, feet resting at the top of a chair. He catches sight of me, but makes no effort to get up. “Chanyeol, get off the table and let’s go. You had me worried sick you idiot, what if something happened to you?”

“Well then you’d have one less problem to deal with.” He tries to finish his drink, but spills it all over himself. He stretches his arm out to me. “Help me up.” I roll him off the table and he barely manages to catch himself. I grab hold of his ear and pull him down to my level. “You will not pull off another stunt like this or so help me you’ll never see the light of another day, do you hear me?” He winces, but nods. “Good.” I dig into my bag and slam a $50 on the table. “Keep the change.” And with that I drag him outside and into the car.

~

“Can this tearful speech of yours not wait till we get home?” I ask. Chanyeol sniffles and turns to me. “Of course not. I don’t want the others to hear me. Besides I’m here expressing my clear remorse and you’re not even paying attention.” “I was paying attention.” “Then what did I say?” I stop at a red light. “You said that you were sorry and that you were a horrible friend for the things you did and that you were sorry and that you would make it up to me and that you were sorry and that you were sorry aaand that you were sorry-” “Aish that’s because I am. You could at least acknowledge the fact that I’m trying my hardest here.” “You’re drunk. You probably won’t remember any of this in the morning.”

“I am NOT drunk. Just a little tipsy.” “Mhhm, you probably forgot what happened in the last twenty minutes.” “Maybe, but I remember the important details.” I laugh. “Which are?” He smiles. “You called me ‘honey’” My smile falters. “No I didn’t.” “Yeah you did. And you started calling me Yeolie again.” I pull into the driveway and exit the car. “So? That doesn’t mean I’m not mad at you still.” I open the door and walk inside, Chanyeol closing it afterwards. “I never said anything about you not being mad. I just meant that you’re not really that upset anymore and that you were actually concerned for me.” I head up the stairs. “Of course I was concerned. Why wouldn’t I be?” He walks into his bedroom and being caught up in the discussion, I didn’t notice I followed him in as well. “The way you’ve been treating me lately. I just felt that you didn’t care.” I let myself fall into his bed. “I care about you a lot Yeol. If I didn’t then I wouldn’t have-” I shut down the thought as soon as it comes to mind. 

I didn’t notice how close I had sat myself next to him and it was making me extremely nervous. “Wouldn’t have what?” He asks softly. “Nothing. Never mind.” He reaches to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “That kiss meant more to you than you let off didn’t it?” “Chanyeol, I can’t-” He inches closer. “Can’t what? I didn’t ask for anything.” I place a hand on his chest and push him away lightly. “I don’t think I can do anything right now. Not under the current predicament. It just feels wrong after all that happened and I don’t want to rush anything.” He straightens up and the cold air replaces his warmth. “Are you sure?” “What?” He stands up. “Are you sure that’s what you want? Or is it what you’re telling yourself you should want?” “Chanyeol-” “I think it’s time you make decisions without second guessing yourself for once. Even if it’s just for tonight. It’s up to you though. The door is wide open for you to leave if you want. But just know that if you leave, then it’s over. I’m not going to fight a battle that only ends in my heart losing another piece.” 

I sit there, dumbfounded. I didn’t want to end whatever we had between us, but I was just so stressed out that I didn’t know what I wanted. I look at the door, then at him. I stand up and walk towards the door. Just keep walking. Don’t look back and soon things will go back to normal. But for a split second, I stopped. I realized I didn’t want things to go back to normal because the normality that I had before was on so many levels the most uneventful days of my life. But these people had come into my life and made it so much better in a span of 3 months and I’d be absolutely insane to give that all up. So I stopped, turned around and threw myself into his arms. “I’ll stay.” He squeezes his arms around me and rests his head on top of mine. “Why the sudden change of mind?” he asks. “Keeping you by my side is greater than anything I could have possibly gained by leaving you.” We pull back slightly from our embrace and he tilts my face back. “What have I done to deserve such beauty?” he whispers. He strokes his thumb along my cheek and brushes it over my bottom lip. 

When he finally kisses my mouth, everything goes oddly quiet, like the moment of silence between lightning and thunder. The kiss is soft and slow, him barely applying any pressure. Just gently ghosting his lips over mine. He presses his forehead against mine and his shallow breaths fall on my nose and on my lips. We kiss again. The next kiss is the kind that breaks open the sky. It steals my breath and gives it back. He slowly pushes me against the bed and hovers over me, lifting his body as to not put his weight on me. “We don’t have to go further. I can wait if you aren’t ready.” he murmurs against my lips. I raise my hand and push the hair out of his face. “I think I’ve kept you waiting long enough.”

~

(Chanyeol’s POV)

My mouth returned to hers for a few more moments, before I pressed a hot trail down her neck. The pulse point beat beneath my lips, and I couldn't help myself, indulging on sucking at it and making a mewl rise out of her. I resumed my path, parting my lips and touching my tongue to her skin as I made my way to the scoop of her tank top. A hot breath shot down it, causing her to press up against me, the burn spreading between us as I tugged the shirt down enough to expose the edges of her bra. I bussed along one breast, and then the other, before letting the cotton fall back into place. The little pout she sported at my abandoned efforts was enough to make me smile, my body sliding back up and allowing me to take the jutting lower lip between my own, tongue tracing it before sucking on it gently.

“Chanyeol,” she moaned into my mouth, a shudder flooding through me and a slow burn flushing down my body. I groaned back, pressing against her core once more before I resumed my course. Lifting the bottom portion of her tank top, I tucked it over her breasts, baring her abdomen to my touches.

“Baby doll.” The murmur was muffled against the skin of her stomach, the breath of the whisper making the muscles beneath contract slightly. Playfully, I nipped around her navel, making her gasp. The warm scent of vanilla and sugar was teasing me, drawing me down to press the tip of my tongue along it as I kissed her. It was intoxicating.

I wanted to taste Ni-Ah all over. Every single intimate part of her. As of yet, I hadn’t done so, but that night, my brain was encompassed by the idea. I wasn’t naïve; I’d had access to the Internet for years now, had stumbled across things that I probably shouldn’t have. The thing was, I wasn’t one of those who had acted upon my impulses. Rather, I’d been a listener, learning what I could surreptitiously as I waited for the right partner. And now that I had one, had a girl that I wanted to try with, the thoughts came roaring back. I couldn’t help it; I truly wanted to know, wanted the deepest tang of her on my tongue. The idea gripped me, wouldn’t let me go, hardening me as I considered it. That in mind, I moved lower and nuzzled at the line of her sleep shorts, fingers curling around the waistband and tugging at it gently. An inquisitive glance shot from me to her, silent permission being asked.

To that, she nodded, her hips lifting enough to allow me to pull them off but her eyes holding a note of concern beneath the pleasure. Once the heat of my breath ghosted over her, her head lolled back into the headboard, eyes snapping shut. She squeezed them hard in place of instinctively clamping her legs around my head when I finally ran the flat of my tongue along her slit. Her hips bucked, a shuddering breath stuttering her chest as my hesitant licks increased in fervor. As I went, I draped my forearm over her waist to keep her from moving too far. My fingers shuffled along her skin, the erratic dip of my tongue causing them to alternate brush and grip. A few kisses were dropped down there along with the slide of my other hand, my way of feeling out what to do. Though it was clear that I’d never done this before, I wasn’t doing terribly.

My eyes did not glance away from hers as I continued my pursuit, running my tongue down until it slanted over her bundle of nerves. Her stuttering gasp and shift of her hips under my arm told me that I was on target, and so I began to pay closer attention to it. Swirling around it, licking it, was making her tremble, her body more and more at the mercy of my touch.

“Suck,” she moaned after a couple of moments, and when I furrowed my brow in confusion, almost pulling away, her fingers immediately wrapped into my hair to stop me. She tipped her face down towards me, gaze flicking the general direction that I’d been going at for the last several minutes. “Suck on it, Chanyeol.”

Understanding dawning, I pressed my lips back to it, latching around the nub and carefully doing as she requested. The arch of her back, the sounds emanating from her aroused me more, making me do it again and again. My eyes closed, the tang and salt on my tongue causing sparks to flutter along my veins and my own heat to jump up. Tasting her all over, it was what I wanted, and I was getting my wish. And since I wanted to taste more, I slipped off her clit and down to her entrance, flicking my tongue into her passage. Between my attentions there and up, I could feel her body start to unravel beneath me, the wetness of her coating my mouth and chin.

“Holy shit,” she whispered, and I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face. Ni-Ah was too lost in the waves of pleasure that were building up, threatening to crash over her and drown her. Her grip in my hair had been painful when she clenched, but I made no complaints, the run and bump of my tongue anywhere and everywhere was too distracting for the both of us. The sounds I was making as I went, the little grunts and mutterings, were music to her ears. Afterward, I could not recall if she had made the request, or if I had taken the initiative, but at some point I slipped a finger, then two, inside of her. Pumping them in and out, sucking and licking above them, curious, lust-blown eyes taking it all in… it had her tumbling over the edge, the shockwaves of her orgasm drawing a low moan out of her throat. And being the persistent, overachieving punk that I was, I lapped it all up, cleaning her and swallowing her taste as she came down from her euphoria. The back of my hand wiped across my mouth as I scooted back up the bed, supported by one elbow as I stared down at her with hooded eyes.

“That was… okay?” I breathed out, wanting to hear her say so, along with seeing her flushed, trembling state. Her dark brown gaze met my eyes, just as hazy as her own. I looked about as wrecked as she felt; red face, hair skewed, breathing hard. A little grin cropped up on her lips, and she dipped her chin. “So good, baby,” she praised, rising up to kiss me. I hadn’t thought that she’d want to, after my ministrations, but the dual tastes of her tongue and the residual one of her core in my mouth made a shudder run down my spine. Pulling back, she nipped my bottom lip, making me groan. Releasing it, she wrinkled her nose at me. “”Maybe less teeth next time.”

The promise of a next time, that she would let me do it again, excited me more than I could say, and so I took the suggestion in stride. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Alright,” she concurred, a finger trailing lazily down my chest, to my stomach, to the waist of my jeans. Her gaze flashed at me as she kissed me again, nudging me onto my back as her hands did away with the button and lowered the zipper of my fly. I’d gotten her taste, and she wanted mine too. “Now it’s your turn.” I swallow the lump in my throat. “Does this mean we’ve made up?” I ask. She lowered herself and pulled down my jeans and boxers. “Most definitely. Now try not to be too loud. The others are sleeping.”

All I’ll say is that the walls were a lot thinner that night.

~

(Minseok’s POV) 

Aria had come downstairs to tell me that breakfast was ready. I refused. She didn’t ask me why, and I’m glad she didn’t because I probably would’ve yelled at her. I kept telling myself that the noises I heard last night were all in my head; perhaps something my brain was making up from being deprived of my needs for so long. But I’d be a fool to believe that. Those sounds were undoubtedly made by Ni-Ah. In Chanyeol’s bedroom. At first, I’d been hurt. My heart had ached and my eyes had stung from holding back tears. But that was quickly replaced by anger and most importantly: jealousy. 

I shouldn’t have to be jealous. She had told me that I was everything to her. That she  _ loved  _ me. So why was she sleeping with Chanyeol then? Why was she letting him touch her in ways only I should be able to? I grit my teeth and ball up my fists. It was unfair to me, who had given everything to her, and here she was offering herself up to anyone who requests it. Well not anymore. Not on my watch. I’m going to put an end to whatever this is before it gets the chance to even turn into anything else.

I make my way to the kitchen and sit down. Aria is having some sort of discussion with Baekhyun, whilst Chanyeol is helping Ni-Ah with the dishes. The very gesture sets my nerves on fire and I have to take a deep breath to calm down. Jealousy has the power to turn even the nicest people into complete assholes. Chanyeol gets done drying the dishes and spots me behind him. “Hyung! You missed breakfast, would you like me to heat something up for you? We have leftovers-” “What I would like, is to have a talk with you and Ni-Ah.” I snapped. Aria and Baekhyun stop their discussion as Chanyeol flinches and Ni-Ah turns around. “Ni-Ah noona. I’m your elder so show some respect. It’s not my fault you slept in so late.” she corrects me. I clench my jaw to try to bite back my remark, but to no avail. “Well maybe if you and Chanyeol hadn’t been going at it all night, then I would’ve gotten a bit more sleep don’t you think?” The color leaves her face and Chanyeol immediately turns his stare to her.

I turn to look at both Aria and Baekhyun. “Why are you still here? This is none of your business. Leave.” Baekhyun stands up first and leads Aria upstairs, looks of confusion and worry appearing on her face. It’s for the best. I don’t want them to have to deal with this. As soon as I hear the door shut, I stand up and rub my temple. “I want you to tell me exactly what the hell you were thinking whenever you decided to do God knows what to  _ my  _ girlfriend last night.” “Minseok, it’s not his-” I snap my head in her direction. “Was I asking you? No, so shut your mouth.” I turn back to look at Chanyeol, who was avoiding any kind of eye contact. “Did you not hear me? Do I need to repeat myself?” “No, hyung-” “Then answer my fucking question!” I slam my hand on the table, tipping over a few glasses. “I want to know where in that tiny brain of yours did you think it was okay to sleep with her. Do you not have any respect for me? Are you trying to prove something? Do you want show her that you’re better than me? Is that it?” “It’s not like that. I just didn’t want to be the only one not in a relationship.” “And you think your own self-pity makes it okay to take someone else’s partner? Because it’s not. It’s absolutely pathetic-” “Minseok, stop being so rude-”

I cut her off. “You really have no right to finish that sentence, given the way you were treating him before. Or was that all just a little ‘foreplay’? What happened to ‘You’re special to me’ or ‘That I’m enough’? Was that all just some bullshit to get into my pants? Or am I not enough anymore?” I’m shaking by this point, my throat was beginning to hurt from all the yelling and nothing seemed to be solving the problem. “You promised you wouldn’t hurt me, but that’s all you’ve done. And if that’s all I’m going to get from this relationship, then I don’t want it.” “Minseok, let me explain. It was a mistake-” I grab the glass and throw it on the floor, shattering it. “It definitely did not sound like a mistake. You broke me, so now you can have fun picking up the pieces.” I step over the mess and head upstairs. I can feel my eyes start to sting but I ignore it. I’m tired of shedding tears over people who don’t deserve them.

~

(Lay’s POV)

Chaerin is taking a day off today so there’s nobody to make us breakfast. I would prepare it myself if I had even a little bit of experience in the kitchen but the only experience I have, is entering to get a snack every twenty minutes. I decided to just call the nearest restaurant to bring us our meal instead of risking me burning down the entire mansion. I walk upstairs to Yuna’s room, knowing that she’s probably already awake by this hour. “I’m ordering something for us to eat. What do you- What on earth are you doing?” She was sitting on the dresser, back facing the mirror while holding a smaller mirror in her hand and scissors in her mouth. 

“I’m trying to cut my hair but I’m having a few technical difficulties. “You’re going to ruin your hair. Here let me help.” She hands me the scissors and she turns her back to me. “Do you even know how to cut hair?” she asks. “Nope. But I think I can manage.” I grin. “Yixing I swear, if you fuck up my hair I will shave your entire head.” “Then I better give you a cute hairstyle. How short do you want it?” “Just cut off like an inch. Get all the split ends out.” I look at her hair. The damage from all her previous dye was noticeable. “You said all the split ends right?” “Yeah, just the split ends though. I don’t want it too short.” “Uuugh… okay then.” The damage runs up to about a little bit higher than shoulder length. 

I take the scissors and start cutting, making sure nothing looks uneven. After all, I have no fucking clue as to what I’m doing. “What’s taking so long? I said just the split ends-” she reaches behind her to run a hand through her hair, but finds nothing. She traces her hand up, up, up until finally she reaches the ends of her hair. She gets up and scrambles to look in the mirror. “YIXING WHAT THE FUCK. I said just the split ends!!” “Well half of your hair were split ends! Besides, it doesn’t look bad. I think it looks kind of cute.” She looks horrified. “Cute?! Oh no. No no no no.” She keeps messing with it, looking at it from different angles. “What’s wrong with looking cute?” “I’m Kim HwaYoung. I’m not supposed to look like some dewy eyed schoolgirl.” I frown. “I didn’t mean that kind of cute. It was just a compliment. I think you look a lot better with short hair.” She sinks back onto the dresser. “Well what more can you say. You’re the one that cut it.” “If it’s shorter, then it won’t get in the way when you’re trying to beat the crap out of someone.” I offer. She grins. “I guess you’re right. Let’s go eat. I’m hella hungry.”

~

(Amber’s POV)

It was risky coming here. I knew that, but I had nowhere else to hide. Besides, this was the last place anyone would expect me to go so it gave me a bit of time to find some help. SM’s men have been at my heels ever since the Jiyong incident and I’ve been on the run. I can’t leave Seoul; all the airports are being monitored so even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t be able to. I knew I could find him here, since it’s the only thing he does nowadays. I’d snuck in from the back entrance. I’m too recognizable so the main entrance was out of the question.

I pull my hood over my head and walk over to the corner tables next to the bar. Thankfully, the casino was large enough for me to go unnoticed. I locate him sitting at one of the VIP lounges, smoking what I could guess was something from his own business. I just hoped he was sensible enough to understand what I needed from him. Oddly enough, there was nobody guarding the VIP rooms so it made that part easy for me to get in. Ravi looks up momentarily, a confused expression on his face. “Can I help you?” he asks, trying to get a look from under my hood. I turn to see if there’s anyone looking in our direction before taking off my hood and shutting the door.

He immediately sits up, disquietude filling the atmosphere. “Amber… what are you doing here?” I walk towards the couch and take a seat next to him. I notice that he scoots a few inches away from me, keeping his distance. “I need you to help me Ravi, SM has been after me for weeks now and I don’t know where else to go or who to turn to.” He looks at me for a second before asking, “What do you want me to do? You’re not on the best of terms with anyone exactly and I don’t want to get involved in whatever you’re trying to do. I already have enough problems of my own, I don’t want to make more.” “Can you contact Lay? I think I can get him to call off the search. Once that’s done I can fly to China without being traced. Please Ravi, I’m asking you as a friend.” I can see he’s debating the situation in his head, the way he’s furrowing his eyebrow and biting his bottom lip. “Alright, I’ll call him. Wait here.” He stands and walks outside into the hallway. I take a seat and allow myself to relax. This will all be over soon. 

~

(Ravi’s POV)

I look behind me to make sure Amber isn’t anywhere near enough to overhear me. I’d be calling Lay, but not for the reason she wanted that’s for sure. It takes a few tries before he actually answers the phone. “This better be important, Wonsik. I’m extremely busy right now.” “Yixing we have a situation here.” I turn to look behind me, Amber was still sitting on the sofa. “A pretty urgent one at that.” I can hear clinking in the background and a female voice speaking. ‘Extremely busy’ my ass. “Well then, spit it out.” he speaks with his mouth full. “Amber’s in the casino. She says she’s looking for you.” I hear him choke on his food and the female voice from earlier start to laugh. “She still hasn’t been caught?!” he asks through numerous coughs. “Clearly not. You think you can send some of your men to get her?” 

I see Amber stand up and I’m about to hastily hang up but she just grabs the whisky bottle on the table and pours herself a glass. “I can’t just send my men barging into Ni-Ah’s casino you idiot. There’ll be guards and I can’t afford to lose anyone at the moment.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “We’ll we gotta do something. Or more like YOU gotta do something. She’s asking for your help. I’m just here to convey the message. Well, more or less.” There’s a small pause before I hear the scraping of a chair and him whisper some things to his partner. “Very well. I’ll figure something out.” And with that he hangs up the phone. I hate when he does that. I walk back inside and Amber sits up immediately. “Well? What did he say?” she asks. I sit down and take a drag of my pipe. “He said he’ figure something out for you. You can go now.” Sometime during my call, one of my workers had stumbled into the room. I nod my head at him and he pushes her out and closes the door. I down what’s left of the whisky and take one last drag of my pipe before rising ad fixing my tie. I hand a twenty to the bartender as I pass by and exit through the back door. The sooner I stray from this the better off I’ll be. Or so I thought.


End file.
